What is Zacks Research's Estimate for PKG Q2 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for Packaging Corporation of America to $2.65 (from $2.60) and keeps a Hold rating, with a consensus full‑year estimate of $10.44 per share.
• PKG last reported Q4 EPS of $2.32, missing estimates by $0.09, and posted revenue of $2.36 billion versus $2.43 billion expected, though revenue grew 10.1% year‑over‑year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.25 ($5.00 annualized) with an ex‑dividend date of March 13 and a yield of about 2.5% (payment on April 15).

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Packaging Corporation of America in a report issued on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $2.65 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.60. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America's current full-year earnings is $10.44 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.71 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.91 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.13 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $12.45 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.31 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.20 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on PKG. Citigroup increased their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen raised Packaging Corporation of America from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Argus upgraded Packaging Corporation of America to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $236.00.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

Shares of PKG opened at $202.15 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.59, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $226.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $213.38. Packaging Corporation of America has a twelve month low of $172.71 and a twelve month high of $249.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Packaging Corporation of America's payout ratio is 58.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Packaging Corporation of America news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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 owned 197,062 shares in the company, 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. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Corporation of America

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