Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by ($0.09), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 8.61% and a return on equity of 19.18%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 2.200-2.20 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Performance

PKG stock opened at $217.05 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $208.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $206.73. Packaging Corporation of America has a fifty-two week low of $172.71 and a fifty-two week high of $232.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.53 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.88.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Packaging Corporation of America’s payout ratio is 50.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Packaging Corporation of America by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $584,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 1,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 4,942 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on PKG. UBS Group upped their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $263.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Packaging Corporation of America from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Packaging Corporation of America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.17.

Key Headlines Impacting Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue growth — PKG reported fourth-quarter net sales roughly $2.4B, up ~10% year-over-year, showing demand/support for pricing and volume recovery. Packaging Corporation of America Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Price actions could help margins going forward — discussion that containerboard price hikes may shift the company’s investment narrative suggests potential margin recovery if realized. Did PKG’s Containerboard Price Hike Just Shift Packaging Corporation of America’s (PKG) Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call detail available — the full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript provides management commentary on volumes, costs, acquisition integration and outlook for investors to parse for guidance color. PKG Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Archived materials — earlier transcripts (e.g., PCA Q3 2024) are available for historical context but are unlikely to move the stock today. PCA (PKG) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss — Q4 EPS of $2.32 missed the consensus of $2.41, and GAAP comparables show earnings below last year’s numbers; this headline miss pressured the stock. Packaging Corp. (PKG) Misses Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue also missed Street expectations (reported ~$2.36B vs. ~$2.43B est), and management cited lower volumes, margin pressure and acquisition-related headwinds as offsets to higher sales. Packaging Corp Earnings Miss Estimates in Q4, Sales Increase Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Reduced near-term guidance — PKG set Q1 2026 EPS guidance at $2.20, below the consensus ~ $2.34, signaling a softer near-term outlook and prompting investor concern about margin trajectory.

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.