Packaging Corp. of America is the third-largest containerboard and corrugated packaging manufacturer in the United States. It produces over 5 million tons of containerboard annually.
It is a $20.5B materials company. Revenue grew 10.3% over the last year, it keeps 7¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~4.5 years of free cash flow. It trades at 29.7× earnings — near the highest of its own history.
- Website
- packagingcorp.com
- Location
- Lake Forest, IL
- Employees
- 16 800
- Sector
- Basic Materials
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong quality; Profitability lags behind.
Valuation52
- P/E vs own history96th pct · 0/25
- FCF yield3.6% · 12/25
- P/S2.2x · 20/25
- EV/EBITDA13.3x · 20/25
Growth51
- Revenue CAGR3.8% · 6/25
- Net income CAGR-2.1% · 0/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Y12.1% · 20/25
- Fwd implied growth54.1% · 25/25
Profitability49
- ROIC9.7% · 12/25
- ROE14.9% · 12/25
- Net margin7.3% · 13/25
- Operating margin10.9% · 12/25
Health55
- Altman Zn/a · 0/25
- Current ratio2.94 · 25/25
- Interest coverage14.0x · 25/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 31% · 5/25
Quality80
- Piotroski F3/9 · 5/25
- Beneish M-2.80 · 25/25
- FCF conversion107% · 25/25
- Margin stabilityσ 1.9% · 25/25
Moat74
- ROIC >12% years9/10 yrs · 25/25
- Median gross margin22.5% · 6/25
- FCF-positive years10/10 yrs · 25/25
- Worst-year net marginworst 6.9% · 18/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- FY2022FinancialBest year on record$1.03B net income
- FY2016FinancialProfitable every year on record10 consecutive profitable years in our data
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $1B$5.78B in first reported year
- FY2016FinancialPositive free cash flow every year since10-year streak
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- Revenue growing 10.3% year over year
- Interest covered 14.0× by operating earnings
Watch-outs
Nothing stands out as a concern in the available data.
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago+10.3% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$692M TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year-8.0% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$742M TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~4.5y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$20.5B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice-5.3% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it10/10 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distresshealth score 50/100
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 2.18%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 29.7
Peer comparisonPackaging Corp of America vs 6 largest basic materials peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PKG this company | $20.5B | 29.7 | +10.3% | 7.3% | Mixed |
| LIN Linde plc Ordinary Share | $223.2B | 30.8 | +6.6% | 20.4% | Solid |
| SCCO Southern Copper Corporation | $176.8B | 31.2 | +32.8% | 35.9% | Strong |
| NEM Newmont Corporation | $124.2B | 14.4 | +25.2% | 33.4% | Strong |
| FCX Freeport-McMoran Inc. | $105.8B | 35.9 | +0.2% | 11.4% | Strong |
| AEM Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. | $95.8B | 15.9 | +43.7% | 37.5% | Strong |
| B Barrick Mining Corporation | $67.5B | 10.1 | +9.2% | 31.6% | Strong |
Head-to-head: PKG vs LIN · PKG vs SCCO · PKG vs NEM
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2025. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/PKG
Want the live picture — intraday moves, valuation history and full analysis?
Deeper analysis of PKG on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $230.51 · market cap $20.5B.