Zacks Research Has Bearish Forecast for PKG Q4 Earnings

Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Packaging Co. of America in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $2.97 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.00. The consensus estimate for Packaging Co. of America’s current full-year earnings is $9.08 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Co. of America’s Q2 2026 earnings at $3.04 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $3.07 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on PKG. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Packaging Co. of America from $232.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Packaging Co. of America from $252.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Packaging Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $215.00 to $280.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Packaging Co. of America from $235.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Packaging Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.67.

Packaging Co. of America Stock Performance

Shares of PKG stock opened at $240.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.95. The stock has a market cap of $21.56 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.79. Packaging Co. of America has a 1 year low of $159.57 and a 1 year high of $250.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $235.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.03.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Co. of America

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PKG. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Packaging Co. of America by 1,462.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 573,073 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,440,000 after acquiring an additional 536,389 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Packaging Co. of America by 34.3% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,027,585 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $187,596,000 after purchasing an additional 262,315 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Packaging Co. of America by 164.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 401,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,272,000 after purchasing an additional 249,483 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Packaging Co. of America by 41,151.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 155,519 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,499,000 after purchasing an additional 155,142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Packaging Co. of America by 218.1% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 207,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,739,000 after purchasing an additional 142,400 shares during the period. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Packaging Co. of America

In other news, Director Paul T. Stecko sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.91, for a total value of $2,571,555.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,175,045.71. The trade was a 54.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert P. Mundy sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.62, for a total transaction of $3,007,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 43,954 shares in the company, valued at $10,576,211.48. The trade was a 22.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,300 shares of company stock valued at $8,064,152. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Packaging Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Packaging Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.28%.

Packaging Co. of America Company Profile

Packaging Corporation of America engages in the production of container products. It operates through the following segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Packaging segment offers a variety of corrugated packaging products, such as conventional shipping containers. The Paper segment manufactures and sells a range of papers, including communication-based papers, and pressure sensitive papers.