Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Short Interest Down 17.7% in December

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,602,271 shares, a decline of 17.7% from the December 15th total of 3,162,660 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 771,845 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 771,845 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Packaging Corporation of America from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $222.00 to $233.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $263.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.17.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:PKG opened at $221.75 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $204.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $205.80. Packaging Corporation of America has a 1 year low of $172.71 and a 1 year high of $242.68.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.10). Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.72% and a net margin of 10.18%.The company had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.400-2.400 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Packaging Corporation of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 40.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 197 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised a few quarterly estimates — Q1 2026 to $2.38 from $2.34, Q3 2026 to $3.35 from $3.34, and Q3 2027 to $3.54 from $3.52 — signaling modest upside to some near-term quarters. Zacks Research note
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks left its rating at “Hold” and the consensus for the current full year remains ~ $10.44 EPS; overall revisions are small in magnitude, so the market reaction is muted (volume below average). This suggests limited catalyst from the note unless guidance or macro factors change. Zacks Research note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed several estimates — Q2 2026 to $2.57 (from $2.67), Q1 2027 to $2.61 (from $2.63), Q2 2027 to $2.91 (from $2.94), Q4 2026 to $2.85 (from $2.86), FY2026 to $11.14 (from $11.22) and FY2027 to $12.26 (from $12.29). These downgrades slightly reduce multi-year EPS expectations and are the main reason investor sentiment is cautious. Zacks Research note

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.