WinstonWınston
Back
Packaging Corporation of America logo

Packaging Corporation of America

PKG
49
Packaging & Containers · Consumer Cyclical
Also trades as: 0KEZ.L
Price
$252.79
+3.23 (+1.29%)
Market Cap
$22.52B
Winston Score
49
Winston is serious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Strong
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Good

Share count falling — buybacks

5.2% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 94.5M (2021) → 89.6M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Packaging Corporation of America makes cardboard boxes and paper packaging. Its main products are corrugated containers — the brown shipping boxes used to move goods like food, beverages, and online orders. It is one of the largest producers of containerboard and corrugated packaging in the United States.

The company makes money by selling boxes and packaging materials to manufacturers, retailers, and distributors across many industries. It operates almost entirely in the United States, with around 100 manufacturing and converting facilities. Its competitive edge comes from owning its own paper mills, which gives it more control over costs than competitors who must buy raw materials from outside. The main risk is that demand for corrugated packaging is tied closely to the broader economy — when businesses ship less product, PCA sells fewer boxes.

Politician Trades

12 trades / 12mo

8 Congressional buys and 4 sells on PKG in the last 12 months.

Unlock the full Smart Money Map — every trade plotted on the price chart with politicians, amounts and returns since each trade. Founder's Deal is $57/mo locked for life.

Unlock politician trades

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+14.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

-19.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

2.5%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$616M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Packaging Corporation of America is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 15%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
20.6%
Thin — 20.6% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
13.4%
Healthy — 13.4% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
14.0%
Good — 14.0% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+10.3%
Steady sales growth (+10.3% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-23.2%
Earnings shrinking (-23.2% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
224%
Turns 224% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
7.4%
Modest free cash flow (7.4%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.89
Moderate — manageable debt (0.89)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
10.19x
Comfortably covers interest (10.2x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
32.7x
Pricey — P/E 32.7

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+14.0
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (32.7 → 18.7)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
2.14%
Moderate income — 2.14% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+5.0%
Dividend growing modestly (5.0% YoY)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free
🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.
Start free trial