UBS Group Boosts Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Price Target to $232.00

Key Points

• UBS Group raised its price target on Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) from $225 to $232 while maintaining a "neutral" rating, implying about a 9.44% upside from the prior close.
• Q1 results showed EPS of $2.40 versus estimates of $2.17 (a beat) while revenue was $2.37B (slightly below the $2.45B estimate) and the company set Q2 guidance at 2.33 EPS.
• The consensus analyst view is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $229.86 (JPMorgan is more bullish at $246), insiders recently sold shares (the president sold 12,129 at $230.50), and institutional ownership stands near 89.8%.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by stock analysts at UBS Group from $225.00 to $232.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the industrial products company's stock. UBS Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 9.44% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $225.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Packaging Corporation of America in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $225.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Argus upgraded Packaging Corporation of America to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $229.86.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

Shares of PKG stock traded down $0.55 on Tuesday, reaching $211.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 48,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,030,959. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12-month low of $178.30 and a 12-month high of $249.51. The company has a market capitalization of $18.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.79, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.90. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $216.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.55.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the president directly owned 197,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,422,791. This trade represents a 5.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Corporation of America

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PKG. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 105.4% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 140.0% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA grew its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 94.1% in the fourth quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 165 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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