Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Bank of America Analyst Says

Key Points

• Bank of America raised its price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $242 to $263 and kept a buy rating, implying about 17% upside from the current price.
• Other analysts have also been mostly positive, with recent target increases from firms including UBS, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan. The stock’s overall consensus rating remains Moderate Buy with an average target price of $254.43.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected earnings of $2.40 per share, though revenue missed estimates. Packaging Corporation of America also guided Q2 2026 EPS at $2.33.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Bank of America from $242.00 to $263.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Bank of America's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 16.99% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Packaging Corporation of America from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $232.00 to $248.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup increased their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $229.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $246.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $246.00 to $269.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $254.43.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Performance

Packaging Corporation of America stock traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $224.80. 93,021 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 896,844. Packaging Corporation of America has a 52 week low of $189.03 and a 52 week high of $249.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 3.07. The firm has a market cap of $20.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $225.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $221.26.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.23. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.27% and a net margin of 8.04%.The company had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.330 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Packaging Corporation of America news, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.08, for a total value of $2,011,463.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 473,610 shares in the company, valued at $102,811,258.80. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PKG. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 73.5% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 538.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 5,316 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 40.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 43.6% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 17.0% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,772 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Packaging Corporation of America

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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