Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of PKG Q1 Earnings

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report issued on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $2.20 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.38. Zacks Research 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $2.60 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.22 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.89 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.04 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.28 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $12.38 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on PKG. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $233.00 to $234.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.00.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Performance

Shares of PKG opened at $244.88 on Thursday. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $215.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.98. The stock has a market cap of $22.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.88. Packaging Corporation of America has a one year low of $172.71 and a one year high of $249.51.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.43 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 8.61% and a return on equity of 19.18%. Packaging Corporation of America’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.20 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PKG. CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 4,483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $925,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Packaging Corporation of America in the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. SMA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America during the 4th quarter worth $4,537,000. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the fourth quarter worth $2,755,000. Finally, Richwood Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter valued at about $185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Packaging Corporation of America

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

Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Packaging Corporation of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.34%.

Key Packaging Corporation of America News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2027 EPS view to $12.38 (from $12.26) and bumped some 2027 quarterly forecasts, signaling slightly stronger longer‑term expectations. Zacks Research estimate changes
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 2027 estimate increased to $2.89 (from $2.61), indicating Zacks sees better momentum in early 2027. Zacks Research estimate changes
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 2027 was raised to $3.04 (from $2.91) and Q2 2026 was nudged up to $2.60 (from $2.57) — small but constructive revisions for near-term earnings. Zacks Research estimate changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks issued an FY2028 EPS projection of $14.49 (newly published) but kept a “Hold” rating — useful for modeling but not an immediate catalyst. Zacks Research estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut several near‑term quarter forecasts: Q1 2026 to $2.20 (from $2.38), Q3 2026 to $3.22 (from $3.35) and Q3 2027 to $3.28 (from $3.54), reflecting weaker near‑term margin or volume assumptions. Note the Q1 2026 figure matches PKG’s guidance. Zacks Research estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed Q4 2026 to $2.79 (from $2.85), Q4 2027 to $3.17 (from $3.20) and lowered FY2026 to $10.80 (from $11.14), signaling a slightly dimmer near‑term earnings baseline. Zacks Research estimate changes

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.