Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Issues Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.810-2.810 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.780.

Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance

Packaging Corporation of America stock traded down $3.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $245.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 74,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 801,772. Packaging Corporation of America has a fifty-two week low of $191.50 and a fifty-two week high of $259.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.86 billion, a PE ratio of 31.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.94.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The industrial products company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.63% and a net margin of 7.40%. Packaging Corporation of America’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Packaging Corporation of America’s payout ratio is 77.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America cut their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $292.00 to $289.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $254.00 to $253.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $246.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Packaging Corporation of America currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Thomas Hassfurther sold 12,531 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $3,132,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 218,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,687,750. This trade represents a 5.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald Shirley sold 12,000 shares of Packaging Corporation of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.71, for a total value of $3,008,520.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 19,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,791,068.10. The trade was a 38.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 40,391 shares of company stock worth $10,196,101 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $3.04, above the roughly $2.93-$2.95 analyst consensus and up from $2.73 a year earlier. Revenue rose 12.5% year over year to approximately $2.60 billion, supported by favorable pricing and product mix, higher shipments, and contributions from the Greif operations. Packaging Corporation of America Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: PCA raised or reaffirmed fourth-quarter adjusted EPS guidance at $2.81, ahead of the $2.78 consensus estimate. Price increases, cost discipline, and continued integration benefits are supporting the outlook. Packaging Corporation of America Reports Earnings Results
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $298 from $270 and maintained a Buy rating, indicating continued confidence in PCA’s earnings durability and growth prospects. Deutsche Bank Price Target Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted profitable growth and successful Greif integration, while analysts focused on shipment trends, pricing, margins, and execution risks discussed during the earnings call. Analyst Questions From PCA’s Q3 Earnings Call
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter gains will be partly offset by maintenance outages and higher freight and other operating costs. Although the earnings beat was solid, revenue was broadly in line with expectations rather than materially above them. PCA Q3 Earnings Beat Meets Rising Cost Risk
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 32 times earnings and near its 52-week high, PKG’s valuation leaves less room for execution missteps. Some analysts view the shares as expensive despite PCA’s strong balance sheet, operating performance, and above-consensus guidance. A Good Company Isn’t Always a Good Stock

About Packaging Corporation of America

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) is a manufacturer of corrugated packaging and containerboard products serving businesses primarily in the United States. Its products include shipping boxes, retail packaging, displays, protective packaging and specialty corrugated solutions used to transport and present a broad range of consumer and industrial goods.

The company also produces uncoated freesheet paper and related paper products for commercial printing, office use, publishing, converting and other applications.