Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $233.00.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PKG shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Packaging Co. of America from $232.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Packaging Co. of America from $253.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Packaging Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $265.00 target price (down previously from $282.00) on shares of Packaging Co. of America in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Packaging Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PKG. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Packaging Co. of America by 234.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Packaging Co. of America by 150.8% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 163 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Packaging Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Packaging Co. of America by 1,033.3% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Packaging Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Packaging Co. of America Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PKG opened at $206.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.95. The company has a market cap of $18.57 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.77. Packaging Co. of America has a 52 week low of $169.00 and a 52 week high of $250.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $220.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.69.

Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.04). Packaging Co. of America had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 19.67%. As a group, research analysts expect that Packaging Co. of America will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Packaging Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Packaging Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.99%.

About Packaging Co. 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.