PKG vs. SHW: Packaging Corp of America vs. Sherwin-Williams Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) 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

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but PKG is classified in Containers & Packaging while SHW is classified in Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Profile Item	PKG	SHW
Name	Packaging Corporation of America	The Sherwin-Williams Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Containers & Packaging	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	22.25 billion USD	83.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 28, 2000	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PKG

SHW

GSPC

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW), 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 Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
Total Return (1Y)	31.07%	5.74%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.13%	13.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.23%	2.84%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PKG

SHW

GSPC

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW), 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 Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.35%	29.59%
Beta (5Y)	0.76	1.02
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.78%	-42.46%
Avg. Volume (3M)	624.28K	1.72M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PKG and SHW 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 Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.95	0.05
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.49	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Sherwin-Williams (SHW) earns 63.70% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has no ROE this period.

PKG

Materials industry group

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

SHW

Materials industry group

63.70%

SHW: 63.70%
Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 7.40% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 10.74% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

PKG

Materials industry group

7.40%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

10.74%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
SHW: 10.74%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 14.97% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 17.56% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

PKG

Materials industry group

14.97%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

17.56%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
SHW: 17.56%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
ROE (TTM)	--	63.70%
ROA (TTM)	--	9.48%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.40%	10.74%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.97%	17.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.24%	48.60%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 7.23% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 2.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at -3.92% and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at -2.75% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.23%	2.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.97%	2.10%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.92%	-2.75%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-8.03%	9.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Sherwin-Williams (SHW) shows current ratio of 0.71 against its industry benchmark, while Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has no reading this period.

PKG

Materials industry group

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

SHW

Materials industry group

0.71

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
SHW: 0.71
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but SHW is more stretched: Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 0.94 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 3.72 is above its industry benchmark range.

PKG

Materials industry group

0.94

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

SHW

Materials industry group

3.72

SHW: 3.72
Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	0.71
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.94	3.72
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.92	3.04

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 2.21% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 0.91% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PKG the richer one.

PKG

Materials industry group

2.21%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

0.91%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
SHW: 0.91%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 29.35% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 67.82% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

PKG

Materials industry group

67.82%

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

SHW

Materials industry group

29.35%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
SHW: 29.35%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.21%	0.91%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	67.82%	29.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 30.79 and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 31.66 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

PKG

Materials industry group

30.79

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

SHW

Materials industry group

31.66

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
SHW: 31.66
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 2.26 and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 3.34 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

PKG

Materials industry group

2.26

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

SHW

Materials industry group

3.34

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
SHW: 3.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 4.74 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) at 20.78 prices even higher, above its industry range.

PKG

Materials industry group

4.74

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

SHW

Materials industry group

20.78

SHW: 20.78
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) vs. Sherwin-Williams (SHW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Packaging Corp of America (PKG) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW)
Metric	PKG	SHW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.79	31.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	3.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.74	20.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	2.98%