AVY vs. PKG: Avery Dennison vs. Packaging Corp of America Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) are both classified in the Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials sub-industry within the broader Containers & Packaging industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Profile Item	AVY	PKG
Name	Avery Dennison Corporation	Packaging Corporation of America
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Containers & Packaging	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	14.10 billion USD	22.25 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	January 28, 2000
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AVY

PKG

GSPC

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
Total Return (1Y)	10.80%	31.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	3.97%	21.13%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.88%	17.23%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AVY

PKG

GSPC

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.05%	28.35%
Beta (5Y)	0.75	0.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.73%	-31.78%
Avg. Volume (3M)	836.04K	624.28K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AVY and PKG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.27	0.95
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.43	1.49

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Avery Dennison (AVY) earns 30.80% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has no ROE this period.

AVY

Materials industry group

30.80%

Max: 52.88%
AVY: 30.80%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

PKG

Materials industry group

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): PKG does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; AVY is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 7.56% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 7.40% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AVY

Materials industry group

7.56%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
AVY: 7.56%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

PKG

Materials industry group

7.40%

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 12.10% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 14.97% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AVY

Materials industry group

12.10%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
AVY: 12.10%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

PKG

Materials industry group

14.97%

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
ROE (TTM)	30.80%	--
ROA (TTM)	8.28%	--
Net Margin (TTM)	7.56%	7.40%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.10%	14.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	28.83%	21.24%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.14% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 7.23% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 0.69% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at -3.92% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.14%	7.23%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-0.68%	1.97%
EPS Growth (YoY)	0.69%	-3.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.54%	-8.03%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Avery Dennison (AVY) shows current ratio of 1.16 against its industry benchmark, while Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has no reading this period.

AVY

Materials industry group

1.16

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
AVY: 1.16
Min: 0.16

PKG

Materials industry group

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): PKG does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; AVY is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.52 and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 0.94 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

AVY

Materials industry group

1.52

Max: 1.98
AVY: 1.52
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

PKG

Materials industry group

0.94

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.16	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.52	0.94
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.20	1.92

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 2.05% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 2.21% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

AVY

Materials industry group

2.05%

Max: 4.52%
AVY: 2.05%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PKG

Materials industry group

2.21%

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 41.99% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 67.82% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

AVY

Materials industry group

41.99%

Max: 83.62%
AVY: 41.99%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PKG

Materials industry group

67.82%

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.05%	2.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	41.99%	67.82%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 20.21 and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 30.79 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AVY

Materials industry group

20.21

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
AVY: 20.21
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

PKG

Materials industry group

30.79

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.51 and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 2.26 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AVY

Materials industry group

1.51

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
AVY: 1.51
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

PKG

Materials industry group

2.26

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 5.91 and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 4.74 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

AVY

Materials industry group

5.91

Max: 6.59
AVY: 5.91
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

PKG

Materials industry group

4.74

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

Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Metric	AVY	PKG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.21	30.79
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.51	2.26
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.91	4.74
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	6.90%	--