Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook for PKG Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS estimate for Packaging Corporation of America to $2.69 from $2.70, signaling a slightly more cautious near-term outlook. The firm also provided estimates for upcoming quarters and fiscal years, including FY2027 EPS of $12.34.
• PKG’s latest earnings beat expectations despite a revenue miss: the company reported Q1 EPS of $2.40 versus the $2.17 consensus, while revenue came in at $2.37 billion compared with $2.45 billion expected. Revenue still rose 10.6% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 per share from $1.25, equal to a $6.00 annualized dividend and a 2.8% yield. The article also notes PKG has broad institutional ownership, with hedge funds and other investors holding about 89.78% of shares.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report issued on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $2.69 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.70. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America's current full-year earnings is $10.81 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America's Q1 2027 earnings at $2.87 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.85 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $12.34 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $3.20 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.23. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. Packaging Corporation of America'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.

PKG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $234.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $225.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.57.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:PKG opened at $215.84 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.81. Packaging Corporation of America has a 1-year low of $184.76 and a 1-year high of $249.51. The company's fifty day moving average price is $212.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.09. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This is a positive change from Packaging Corporation of America's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Packaging Corporation of America's payout ratio is 60.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PKG. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 73.5% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $585,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 538.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 5,316 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in 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 worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its position in 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 last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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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