Truist Financial Reaffirms Buy Rating for Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG)

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by Truist Financial in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $294.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $280.00. Truist Financial‘s price target points to a potential upside of 18.13% from the company’s current price.

PKG has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $292.00 to $289.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. 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. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $320.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Packaging Corporation of America presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $274.14.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Down 0.0%

PKG stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $248.88. The stock had a trading volume of 240,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 802,709. The firm has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 2.94 and a quick ratio of 1.86. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12-month low of $191.50 and a 12-month high of $259.98. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $237.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $230.79.

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

Insider Transactions at Packaging Corporation of America

In other Packaging Corporation of America news, VP Donald Shirley sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.71, for a total transaction of $3,008,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,110 shares in the company, valued at $4,791,068.10. This represents a 38.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President Thomas Hassfurther sold 7,063 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the president owned 202,891 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,534,314. This trade represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,391 shares of company stock valued at $10,196,101. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,837,506,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the second quarter worth $748,095,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 25.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,323,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $492,990,000 after acquiring an additional 467,590 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the 2nd quarter valued at $379,568,000. Finally, Atlas FRM LLC acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the 2nd quarter valued at $365,164,100. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Packaging Corporation of America News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: PKG reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.04 per share, above the $2.93 consensus estimate and up from $2.73 a year ago. Sales increased 12.5% to approximately $2.6 billion, supported by favorable pricing and product mix, higher box shipments, and contributions from the acquired Greif operations. Packaging Corporation of America Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management provided fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $2.81, modestly above the $2.78 analyst consensus. The outlook reflects planned price increases and continued cost discipline, although maintenance outages are expected to limit some of the benefit. Packaging Corp Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Favorable Price & Mix
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets following the results. JPMorgan increased its target to $322 and maintained an “overweight” rating, while Deutsche Bank raised its target to $298 and kept a “buy” rating. These revisions suggest analysts see further upside from earnings growth and Greif integration. Deutsche Bank Adjusts Packaging of America Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call highlighted profitable growth and resilient margins, but investors are monitoring the pace of acquisition benefits, shipment trends, and execution of upcoming price increases. Packaging Corporation of America Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, valuation remains a concern. PKG trades at a relatively elevated earnings multiple, and freight expenses, maintenance outages, and other rising costs could pressure margins. One analysis characterized the company as fundamentally strong but viewed the stock as expensive, which may be limiting enthusiasm. Packaging Corporation of America: A Good Company Isn’t Always A Good Stock

Packaging Corporation of America Company Profile

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.