Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of PKG FY2026 Earnings

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report released 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 previous 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.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last posted 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 company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.43 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.18% and a net margin of 8.61%.Packaging Corporation of America’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.20 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Truist Financial decreased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $233.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.00.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of PKG stock opened at $244.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization 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 12-month low of $172.71 and a 12-month high of $249.51. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $215.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.98.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CI Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 4,483 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America during the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. SMA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,537,000. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,755,000. Finally, Richwood Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $185,000. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Packaging Corporation of America

In other news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the president directly owned 197,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,422,791. This represents a 5.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

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

Packaging Corporation of America News Roundup

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

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.