Natixis Advisors L.P. Has $13.66 Million Stock Holdings in Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Packaging Co. of America (NYSE:PKG) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. 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.’s holdings in Packaging Co. of America were worth $13,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Packaging Co. of America during the third quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Packaging Co. of America by 60.5% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 183 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Packaging Co. of America in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Co. of America in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Co. of America during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Packaging Co. of America

In other news, VP Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 14,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.80, for a total transaction of $2,466,395.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 183,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,967,034. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 13,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.06, for a total transaction of $2,507,681.00. Following 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 14,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.80, for a total value of $2,466,395.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 183,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,967,034. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 38,041 shares of company stock valued at $6,799,177. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Packaging Co. of America Stock Up 1.7 %

Packaging Co. of America stock opened at $179.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $182.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.57. Packaging Co. of America has a 52-week low of $122.20 and a 52-week high of $191.27. The firm 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.

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

Packaging Co. of America Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PKG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Packaging Co. of America from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $187.00 to $191.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com cut Packaging Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Packaging Co. of America from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Packaging Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Packaging Co. of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $202.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $173.57.

Packaging Co. of America Company 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.