Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook for PKG Q3 Earnings

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Packaging Corporation of America in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $2.91 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.07. 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 FY2026 earnings at $10.40 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $3.73 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.56 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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 equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $225.00 to $256.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $269.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $272.00 to $271.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $246.00 target price (up from $245.00) on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $241.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.57.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Packaging Corporation of America stock opened at $256.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 3.07 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The stock has a market cap of $22.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.27, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $236.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.03. Packaging Corporation of America has a 1 year low of $191.50 and a 1 year high of $259.00.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Corporation of America

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Packaging Corporation of America by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC grew its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 5,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of Packaging Corporation of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.08, for a total value of $2,011,463.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 473,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,811,258.80. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,531 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $3,132,750.00. Following the transaction, the president owned 218,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,687,750. This trade represents a 5.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,657 shares of company stock worth $9,199,044. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.