Packaging Corp of America (PKG) Stock Analysis

November 11, 2026

This is a peer-relative look at Packaging Corp of America (PKG): its performance, risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividend, and valuation are each measured against its Materials peers, so every number reads in context rather than in isolation.

Company Profile

Company profile fields for Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Profile Item	PKG
Name	Packaging Corporation of America
Country/Region	United States
GICS Sector	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials
GICS Industry	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	22.25 billion USD
Currency	USD
Exchange	NYSE
Listing Date	January 28, 2000
Security Type	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PKG

GSPC

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
Total Return (1Y)	31.07%	19.59%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.13%	18.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.23%	5.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PKG

GSPC

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.35%	52.82%
Beta (5Y)	0.76	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.78%	-58.44%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Each dot is a stock plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. PKG is highlighted; the dashed line is the Capital Allocation Line from the risk-free rate through the industry median — dots above it are stronger on a risk-adjusted basis.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.95	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.49	0.47

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

No usable ROE is available for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) this period, so the shareholder-equity return read is skipped.

PKG

Materials industry group

Group distribution

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%
PKG: --

Largest peers

SCCO: 52.88%
NEM: 27.26%
BHP: 24.00%
AEM: 23.24%
RIO: 19.31%
LIN: 17.72%
PKG: --

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) doesn’t report ROE this period; the box shows the Materials group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Net Margin (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) keeps 7.40% of revenue as net profit, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal net margin range. Its full cost stack is taking a typical share of sales for the industry.

PKG

Materials industry group

7.40%

Group distribution

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
PKG: 7.40%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Largest peers

AEM: 41.01%
SCCO: 37.16%
NEM: 34.73%
RIO: 19.59%
LIN: 19.34%
BHP: 16.73%
PKG: 7.40%

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on net margin within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) turns 14.97% of revenue into operating profit, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal operating margin range. Its core cost structure looks typical for the industry.

PKG

Materials industry group

14.97%

Group distribution

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
PKG: 14.97%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Largest peers

SCCO: 59.94%
AEM: 55.49%
NEM: 49.99%
BHP: 43.34%
RIO: 28.05%
LIN: 27.97%
PKG: 14.97%

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on operating margin within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Profitability Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
ROE (TTM)	--	8.76%
ROA (TTM)	--	4.42%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.40%	5.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.97%	12.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.24%	27.57%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) grew revenue 7.23%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Top-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

Packaging Corp of America (PKG): Revenue Growth across different time periods, set against Materials industry-group medians.

EPS Growth

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) grew earnings per share -3.92%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Bottom-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

Packaging Corp of America (PKG): EPS Growth across different time periods, set against Materials industry-group medians.

Growth Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.23%	8.36%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.97%	0.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.92%	-1.73%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-8.03%	2.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

No usable current ratio is available for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) this period, so the short-term liquidity read is skipped.

PKG

Materials industry group

Group distribution

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16
PKG: --

Largest peers

SCCO: 4.31
AEM: 2.75
NEM: 2.45
BHP: 1.89
RIO: 1.42
LIN: 0.86
PKG: --

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) doesn’t report current ratio this period; the box shows the Materials group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, in the higher-leverage quartile for its industry. The heavier reliance on borrowing can make earnings, rates, or refinancing conditions matter more.

PKG

Materials industry group

0.94

Group distribution

Max: 1.98
PKG: 0.94
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

PKG: 0.94
LIN: 0.65
SCCO: 0.63
BHP: 0.50
RIO: 0.32
NEM: 0.16
AEM: 0.01

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on debt-to-equity ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Financial Strength Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	2.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.94	0.47
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.92	1.37

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has dividend yield of 2.21%, in the upper peer-yield quartile while still inside the industry range. The dividend offers more cash income per dollar of share price than most peers, though payout coverage still matters.

PKG

Materials industry group

2.21%

Group distribution

Max: 4.52%
PKG: 2.21%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

RIO: 5.59%
SCCO: 2.30%
PKG: 2.21%
BHP: 2.19%
LIN: 1.21%
AEM: 0.93%
NEM: 0.87%

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on dividend yield within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has payout ratio of 67.82%, above the industry’s usual payout band. A larger share of earnings is going to dividends, so the cushion narrows if profit weakens.

PKG

Materials industry group

67.82%

Group distribution

Max: 83.62%
PKG: 67.82%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

BHP: 68.84%
PKG: 67.82%
RIO: 54.46%
SCCO: 52.43%
LIN: 41.83%
AEM: 14.26%
NEM: 11.95%

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on payout ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.21%	0.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	67.82%	9.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) trades at P/E ratio of 30.79, near the industry’s usual earnings multiple. The stock is not showing a clear peer discount or premium on trailing earnings.

PKG

Materials industry group

30.79

Group distribution

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
PKG: 30.79
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Largest peers

LIN: 34.21
PKG: 30.79
SCCO: 22.27
BHP: 20.70
AEM: 15.61
NEM: 14.03
RIO: 11.35

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on P/E ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) trades at 2.26 on P/S ratio, roughly in the peer group’s normal range. The market is not making a strong cheap-or-rich statement about its revenue base.

PKG

Materials industry group

2.26

Group distribution

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
PKG: 2.26
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

SCCO: 8.34
LIN: 6.53
AEM: 6.44
NEM: 4.72
BHP: 3.46
PKG: 2.26
RIO: 2.20

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on P/S ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) trades at 4.74 on P/B ratio, in the higher book-value quartile. The market is paying a premium to book, so stronger ROE, cleaner assets, or a better growth profile need to justify it.

PKG

Materials industry group

4.74

Group distribution

Max: 6.59
PKG: 4.74
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Largest peers

SCCO: 10.89
LIN: 6.00
PKG: 4.74
BHP: 3.98
NEM: 3.53
AEM: 3.27
RIO: 2.08

Where Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stands on P/B ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Valuation Metrics

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKG	Industry group median
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.79	18.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	1.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.74	2.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	3.08%