Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 30,655 Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 30,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,994,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Co. of America during the fourth quarter worth approximately $880,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Packaging Co. of America by 19,323.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,301 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,936,000 after purchasing an additional 30,145 shares in the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in Packaging Co. of America during the fourth quarter worth about $16,338,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in Packaging Co. of America by 60.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,020 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Packaging Co. of America by 90.2% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 13,431 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,188,000 after buying an additional 6,368 shares in the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Packaging Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of PKG traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $176.15. 670,028 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 690,502. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Packaging Co. of America has a 1 year low of $122.20 and a 1 year high of $191.27. The company has a market cap of $15.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $182.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.21.

Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. Packaging Co. of America had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 9.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Packaging Co. of America will post 8.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Packaging Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Packaging Co. of America's payout ratio is 62.50%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 14,191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.80, for a total value of $2,466,395.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 183,930 shares in the company, valued at $31,967,034. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Robert P. Mundy sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.51, for a total transaction of $1,825,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,478,319.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 14,191 shares of Packaging Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.80, for a total value of $2,466,395.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 183,930 shares in the company, valued at $31,967,034. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,041 shares of company stock worth $6,799,177. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PKG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Packaging Co. of America from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Packaging Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Packaging Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Packaging Co. of America from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $182.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Packaging Co. of America from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $187.00 to $191.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Packaging Co. of America presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $173.57.

Packaging Co. of America Profile

Packaging Corporation of America manufactures and sells containerboard and corrugated packaging products in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Packaging segment offers various containerboard and corrugated packaging products, such as conventional shipping containers used to protect and transport manufactured goods; multi-color boxes and displays that help to merchandise the packaged product in retail locations; and honeycomb protective packaging products, as well as packaging for meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, processed food, beverages, and other industrial and consumer products.