Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of PKG Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS estimate for Packaging Corporation of America to $2.70 (from $2.71) and projects FY2028 EPS of $14.01, while the current consensus full‑year EPS is $10.84.
• Analyst views are mixed: Citigroup cut its target to $217 (neutral) while Deutsche Bank upgraded to buy with a $256 target, leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $234.29.
• PKG last reported $2.40 EPS (beat $2.17) but missed revenue expectations ($2.37B vs. $2.45B), pays a $1.25 quarterly dividend (2.2% yield), and is heavily institutionally owned (~89.8%).

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for Packaging Corporation of America in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $2.70 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.71. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America's current full-year earnings is $10.84 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America's Q2 2027 earnings at $2.89 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.45 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $3.23 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.01 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup cut their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $227.00 to $217.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings cut Packaging Corporation of America from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $258.00 target price (down from $260.00) on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Argus raised Packaging Corporation of America to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Packaging Corporation of America currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $234.29.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Performance

NYSE:PKG opened at $227.31 on Thursday. 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 has a 12-month low of $178.32 and a 12-month high of $249.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $215.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.330 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Packaging Corporation of America's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 73.5% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 538.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 5,316 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,772 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 258 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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