JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Price Target to $246.00

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $225.00 to $246.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 15.32% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Packaging Corporation of America from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Packaging Corporation of America in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $225.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $229.14.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

NYSE:PKG opened at $213.33 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $217.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $212.55. The firm has a market cap of $18.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.17. Packaging Corporation of America has a one year low of $178.30 and a one year high of $249.51.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.20% and a net margin of 8.04%.The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.330 EPS. Research analysts expect that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.81 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.50, for a total transaction of $2,795,734.50. Following the transaction, the president owned 197,062 shares in the company, valued at $45,422,791. This trade represents a 5.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 73.5% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 5,316 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $334,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $336,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat consensus (reported $2.40 EPS vs. $2.17 est.) driven by pricing power and operational efficiency — the print and commentary pushed the stock higher after the release. Packaging Corp. (PKG) Q1 Earnings Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $246 and upgraded PKG to “overweight,” signaling a ~15% upside from current levels and providing institutional support for the rally. JPMorgan raises PT for PKG
• Neutral Sentiment: Management set Q2 2026 EPS guidance at $2.33 (excluding special items) and said price benefits should build into Q3 — guidance is explicit but cautious, so it’s a watch item for execution. PCA expects $2.33 in Q2 2026 EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading activity after the beat showed a large intraday pop but lower-than-average follow-through volume, suggesting momentum may need further confirmation. PKG Stock Up After Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentary flagged margin pressure, special items and weaker results from peers (Greif), which limit the upside from the beat and raise execution risk. Packaging Corp. Q1 Earnings Beat on Pricing and Mix
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts warn valuation looks full despite a solid quarter and at least one firm (Truist) lowered expectations, which could cap multiple expansion. Truist Lowers Expectations for PKG

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.