Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for PKG Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its PKG earnings outlook, increasing its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.75 from $2.62 and forecasting FY2027 EPS of $12.44. The revisions indicate stronger anticipated earnings momentum beyond the current year.
• Packaging Corporation of America recently reported quarterly EPS of $2.35, beating estimates by $0.04, while revenue reached $2.49 billion and rose 14.7% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $264.57. However, company insiders sold approximately $9.2 million of shares during the last quarter.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for Packaging Corporation of America in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $2.75 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.62. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America's current full-year earnings is $10.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America's Q1 2027 earnings at $2.88 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.97 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.35 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $12.44 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $3.23 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 18.96% and a net margin of 7.25%.The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.910-2.910 EPS.

Several other research firms have also commented on PKG. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $258.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $225.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $246.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $271.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $242.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $264.57.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:PKG opened at $257.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.80. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12-month low of $191.50 and a 12-month high of $259.98. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $237.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $226.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 140.0% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA boosted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 94.1% in the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 165 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.78% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Packaging Corporation of America

In other Packaging Corporation of America news, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.08, for a total transaction of $2,011,463.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 473,610 shares in the company, valued at $102,811,258.80. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,531 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $3,132,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 218,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,687,750. This represents a 5.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 37,657 shares of company stock valued at $9,199,044 in the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Packaging Corporation of America News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Packaging Corporation of America this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Improved longer-term earnings outlook: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $12.44 from $12.08 and its FY2028 estimate to $14.56 from $13.99. The firm also increased several quarterly estimates, including Q4 2026 to $2.75 from $2.62 and Q2 2027 to $2.97 from $2.79. These revisions suggest stronger expected earnings momentum beyond the current year.
• Positive Sentiment: Higher forward quarterly estimates: Zacks lifted its Q1 2027 EPS forecast to $2.88, Q3 2027 to $3.35, Q4 2027 to $3.23 and Q1 2028 to $3.23. Collectively, the revisions reinforce the positive longer-term earnings narrative for PKG.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed near-term revisions: Zacks modestly reduced its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $2.91 from $3.07 and FY2026 EPS to $10.40 from $10.42. However, the current-year estimate remains close to the broader consensus of $10.48 per share.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider share sale: Thomas Hassfurther sold 7,063 PKG shares. While insider selling can raise caution about management’s near-term view, a single transaction does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals. Thomas Hassfurther Sells 7,063 Shares of Packaging Corporation of America Stock

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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