Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) Holdings Cut by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its stake in shares of Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,945 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned 0.09% of Packaging Co. of America worth $13,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PKG. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Packaging Co. of America in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Packaging Co. of America by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 183 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Packaging Co. of America in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in Packaging Co. of America during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Packaging Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PKG opened at $179.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $16.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.39, a PEG ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $182.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Packaging Co. of America has a twelve month low of $122.20 and a twelve month high of $191.27.

Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.09. Packaging Co. of America had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Packaging Co. of America’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Packaging Co. of America will post 8.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Packaging Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Packaging Co. of America’s payout ratio is 62.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on PKG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Packaging Co. of America from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $187.00 to $191.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Packaging Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. BNP Paribas downgraded Packaging Co. of America from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $182.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Packaging Co. of America from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Packaging Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $173.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert P. Mundy sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.51, for a total transaction of $1,825,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,454 shares in the company, valued at $8,478,319.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 13,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.06, for a total transaction of $2,507,681.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 187,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,975,365.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert P. Mundy sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.51, for a total transaction of $1,825,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,478,319.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,041 shares of company stock valued at $6,799,177. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Packaging Co. of America Profile

Packaging Corporation of America manufactures and sells containerboard and corrugated packaging products in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Packaging segment offers various containerboard and corrugated packaging products, such as conventional shipping containers used to protect and transport manufactured goods; multi-color boxes and displays that help to merchandise the packaged product in retail locations; and honeycomb protective packaging products, as well as packaging for meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, processed food, beverages, and other industrial and consumer products.