Research Analysts Offer Predictions for PKG Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Packaging Corporation of America to $3.11 from $3.20, while the full-year 2026 forecast now stands at $10.54 per share.
• Wall Street sentiment remains fairly positive overall: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $236.57, despite some recent target cuts from firms like Citigroup and Wells Fargo.
• Packaging Corporation of America raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 per share from $1.25, and it also beat Q1 earnings estimates with $2.40 EPS, though revenue came in below expectations.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Packaging Corporation of America in a research note issued on Friday, June 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $3.11 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.20. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America's current full-year earnings is $10.80 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America's FY2026 earnings at $10.54 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.82 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.19 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $12.24 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $3.17 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on PKG. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $227.00 to $217.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $234.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $225.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $225.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.57.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

NYSE PKG opened at $222.99 on Monday. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12 month low of $184.76 and a 12 month high of $249.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.87 billion, a PE ratio of 27.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $214.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 3.07 and a quick ratio of 1.88.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.45 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.330 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Packaging Corporation of America by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,279,442 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,326,159,000 after buying an additional 51,790 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,185,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $868,349,000 after acquiring an additional 54,884 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,478,505 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $717,372,000 after acquiring an additional 83,978 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,316,670 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $683,997,000 after acquiring an additional 231,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,816,736 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,897,000 after acquiring an additional 73,047 shares in the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Packaging Corporation of America

In related news, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 473,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,811,258.80. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Packaging Corporation of America Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Packaging Corporation of America's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Packaging Corporation of America's dividend payout ratio is 60.83%.

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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