Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Moderate Buy": Ten analysts cover PKG with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (6 holds, 3 buys, 1 strong buy) and an average 12‑month price target of about $229.86.
• Quarterly results and guidance: Q1 EPS of $2.40 beat estimates ($2.17) while revenue of $2.37B missed expectations, and management set Q2 guidance at $2.33 EPS with analysts forecasting ~10.79 EPS for the year.
• Insider and shareholder notes: President Thomas Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares at roughly $230.50 (a 5.8% reduction), insiders own 1.6% of the stock, and the company pays a $1.25 quarterly dividend ($5.00 annualized, ~2.3% yield).

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $229.8571.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on PKG shares. Argus raised Packaging Corporation of America to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $227.00 to $217.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Packaging Corporation of America in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research raised Packaging Corporation of America from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $234.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th.

Insider Transactions at Packaging Corporation of America

In related news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of Packaging Corporation of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.50, for a total transaction of $2,795,734.50. Following the sale, the president owned 197,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,422,791. This trade represents a 5.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Corporation of America

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lmcg Investments LLC raised its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 56,814 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,057,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR raised its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 58,250 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,422,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA bought a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America in the 1st quarter worth approximately $831,000. Vivid Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,343,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 54,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $11,515,000 after acquiring an additional 3,023 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.78% of the company's stock.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Down 2.8%

PKG stock opened at $216.34 on Thursday. Packaging Corporation of America has a twelve month low of $178.30 and a twelve month high of $249.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $19.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.32, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.90. The business's 50-day moving average price is $216.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $212.69.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.23. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.20% and a net margin of 8.04%.The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.330 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.79 EPS for the current year.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Packaging Corporation of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.83%.

Packaging Corporation of America Company Profile

Packaging Corporation of America NYSE: PKG is a leading North American manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products. The company produces a range of paper-based packaging solutions including linerboard, corrugating medium, corrugated shipping containers, retail-ready packaging and point-of-purchase displays. In addition to core packaging products, Packaging Corporation of America offers packaging design, testing and supply-chain services intended to optimize protection, cost and sustainability for customers.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, the company operates an integrated network of mills and corrugated manufacturing facilities across the United States and serves customers throughout North America in industries such as e-commerce, grocery and food & beverage, consumer packaged goods and industrial markets.

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