Analysts Set Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Target Price at $261.57

Shares of Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $264.5714.

A number of analysts have commented on PKG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $269.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $241.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $242.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $271.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of PKG stock opened at $255.54 on Friday. Packaging Corporation of America has a 1 year low of $191.50 and a 1 year high of $259.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.77 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $238.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.94.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 7.25%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.910-2.910 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 7,063 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.00, for a total value of $1,794,002.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 202,891 shares in the company, valued at $51,534,314. This represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.08, for a total value of $2,011,463.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 473,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,811,258.80. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 37,657 shares of company stock worth $9,199,044 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 73.5% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 538.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 5,316 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 40.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 43.6% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 17.0% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,772 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

More Packaging Corporation of America News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $292 from $271 and maintained a “Buy” rating, implying roughly 14.3% upside from the referenced share price. The upgrade provides a positive valuation signal for PKG. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to $12.44 from $12.08 and its FY2028 forecast to $14.56 from $13.99. The firm also raised estimates for multiple 2027 quarters and Q2 2028, signaling improved longer-term earnings expectations for Packaging Corporation of America.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.75 from $2.62 and its Q1 2028 estimate to $3.23 from $3.13. These revisions support the view that earnings momentum could strengthen beyond the current year.
• Neutral Sentiment: The analyst revisions are mixed for 2026: FY2026 EPS was trimmed slightly to $10.40 from $10.42, while Q3 2026 EPS was reduced to $2.91 from $3.07. The current full-year consensus remains $10.48 per share, suggesting limited immediate earnings upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Thomas Hassfurther reportedly sold 7,063 PKG shares. Insider selling can weigh modestly on sentiment, although the transaction alone does not establish a change in the company’s fundamental outlook. Thomas Hassfurther sells Packaging Corporation of America 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.