UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Stock Price

Key Points

• UBS cut its price target for Packaging Corporation of America from $235 to $225 and maintained a "neutral" rating, implying roughly a 9% upside from the prior close.
• Consensus remains mildly positive: MarketBeat shows a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average analyst target of $231.86 (1 Strong Buy, 3 Buy, 6 Hold), while individual targets cluster in the ~$225–$234 range.
• Recent performance and results: PKG traded at $206.41 after a $1.71 decline, has an $18.38B market cap, and recently missed quarterly estimates (EPS $2.32 vs. $2.41) while issuing Q1 2026 guidance around $2.20 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by research analysts at UBS Group from $235.00 to $225.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the industrial products company's stock. UBS Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 9.00% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on PKG. Argus upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Packaging Corporation of America from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Packaging Corporation of America in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $231.86.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

Shares of PKG traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $206.41. The stock had a trading volume of 219,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,052,736. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12 month low of $176.45 and a 12 month high of $249.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.38 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.17. The company's 50-day moving average is $223.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $212.90.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.41 by ($0.09). Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 8.61%.The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.20 EPS. Research analysts expect that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.50, for a total value of $2,795,734.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 197,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,422,791. This represents a 5.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Packaging Corporation of America in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 140.0% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA lifted its stake in 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.78% of the company's stock.

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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