Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $232.00 and last traded at $231.0750, with a volume of 178072 shares. The stock had previously closed at $224.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on PKG. UBS Group increased their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Packaging Corporation of America currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.00.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Up 4.1%

The stock has a market cap of $21.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.26, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $210.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 3.16.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.41 by ($0.09). Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 8.61% and a return on equity of 19.18%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.20 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Packaging Corporation of America’s payout ratio is presently 58.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 6,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC bought a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the fourth quarter worth $318,000. Stiles Financial Services Inc increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 6,519 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. F m Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 21,920 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,521,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the period. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America during the fourth quarter worth about $4,664,000. 89.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.