Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of PKG FY2026 Earnings

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Packaging Corporation of America in a report issued on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $10.80 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $11.14. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America’s current full-year earnings is $10.44 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America’s Q4 2026 earnings at $2.79 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.17 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.49 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on PKG. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted 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 report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Packaging Corporation of America from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Packaging Corporation of America has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.00.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

Packaging Corporation of America stock opened at $244.49 on Wednesday. Packaging Corporation of America has a one year low of $172.71 and a one year high of $246.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.16. The business has a fifty day moving average of $214.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.73. The company has a market cap of $22.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.88.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.41 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 8.61%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.20 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Corporation of America

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 105.4% in the 3rd 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 bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Packaging Corporation of America news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.50, for a total value of $2,795,734.50. Following the transaction, the president owned 197,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,422,791. This represents a 5.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Packaging Corporation of America’s payout ratio is 58.34%.

Trending Headlines about Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional interest persists — several funds (including Norges Bank, Millennium, BNY Mellon and American Century) have sizable stakes and recently increased positions, which supports demand for the stock and long‑term confidence in PKG.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend remains intact — PKG recently paid a $1.25 quarterly dividend ($5.00 annualized), yielding ~2.1%, supporting income investors and restraining downside.
• Positive Sentiment: Some sell‑side support remains — several firms maintain Buy/Overweight stances or raised targets earlier (e.g., JPMorgan, Wells Fargo) and Truist kept a Buy rating despite a small target cut, helping underpin the share price. InsiderMonkey
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and strategy pieces (e.g., “Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q4 Earnings?”) are circulating and may attract trading interest without delivering new company‑specific catalysts. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed near‑term and FY2026 earnings estimates (small cuts to Q4 2026/Q4 2027 and lowered FY2026), and kept a Hold rating — downward revisions to estimates are a near‑term headwind for sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~29.5% in January (now ~3.6% of float), indicating increased bearish positioning that can add selling pressure or volatility if positions grow.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: PKG’s president sold 12,129 shares (~$2.8M) in early February — while insider sales aren’t uncommon, they can be perceived negatively by some investors. InsiderTrades
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (Jan. 27) missed EPS and revenue estimates and Q1 guidance was modest (EPS ~2.20), which remains the primary fundamental headwind for the shares.

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.