Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered Packaging Corporation of America from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Packaging Corporation of America in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $262.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $214.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Packaging Corporation of America presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.17.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE PKG opened at $200.51 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $209.94 and its 200-day moving average is $200.51. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $18.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.92. Packaging Corporation of America has a twelve month low of $172.71 and a twelve month high of $250.82.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.10). Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 10.18%.The business had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.400-2.400 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Packaging Corporation of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Insider Transactions at Packaging Corporation of America

In other news, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.97, for a total value of $5,399,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 437,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,460,526.66. This trade represents a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 20.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 35.4% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 532 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the first quarter valued at about $358,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 25.8% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,390 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,038,000 after acquiring an additional 4,179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 2.1% in the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 12,459 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,467,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Packaging Corporation of America

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.