Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) Earnings Call Transcripts

Packaging Corporation of America's Latest Earnings Call - September 10, 2026

In the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, Packaging Corporation of America (PKG:US) reported strong operational performance despite challenges in the agricultural sector impacting corrugated volumes. Revenue and earnings are on track to meet or exceed prior guidance, with management indicating a year-over-year increase of 24% due to the Greif acquisition. However, management noted that upcoming maintenance outages could negatively impact fourth-quarter earnings by approximately $0.30 to $0.35 sequentially, signaling potential headwinds ahead.

Reported metrics

Guidance from management

Management maintained their earnings guidance for Q3 and indicated that Q4 is typically lower due to seasonal factors and maintenance outages. They did not provide specific guidance for Q4 but noted potential earnings impacts from outages.

What management said

Our guys kicks up. We got a Packaging Corp of America. We're excited to have the team here. Representing the company, we've got Mark Kowlzan, CEO and the CFO Mark, do you want to kick things off? Just give us a sense of what you're seeing out there?

Yes, that is a help, and that's going to help counteract some of that sequential to 4 normal decline -- so last year, we were about $0.45 difference between 3Q and 4Q, if you take Graf out of the equation. Okay. This year, bad guy would be freight recycled that might go against us, but price should more than offset that. So I think we'll be a little better than 45 different So.

What analysts pressed on

Analysts expressed concerns about the impact of agricultural sector challenges on corrugated volumes and the potential for increased costs due to elevated freight and recycled prices. There were also questions regarding the sustainability of pricing power amidst rising costs.

Main topics on the call

• Operational Efficiency — Management highlighted that the company has experienced 'excellent operating months' in July and August with no maintenance outages, allowing for inventory restocking. CEO Mark Kowlzan stated, 'we continue to run incredi...
• Agricultural Sector Impact — The company acknowledged a slight decline in corrugated volume due to challenges in the agricultural sector, particularly from drought effects. Kowlzan noted, 'we're below our initial expectation on corrugated volume' du...
• Guidance for Fourth Quarter — Management indicated that fourth-quarter earnings are typically lower than third quarter due to seasonal factors and maintenance outages. They expect a sequential earnings decline of $0.30 to $0.35, stating, '4Q is norma...
• Price Realization and Cost Management — The company successfully implemented price increases, with Kowlzan stating, 'we're ahead on forecast in terms of price realization.' However, they also noted elevated freight and recycled costs that could pressure margin...

Read the full Packaging Corporation of America transcript (September 10, 2026) → Summary generated from the call transcript; every figure above is stated by management on the record.

Earnings Call History

EarningsCalls.dev has 31 Packaging Corporation of America earnings call transcripts on record, spanning January 30, 2020 to September 10, 2026. Based on this history, Packaging Corporation of America reports quarterly. The most recent call on file is dated September 10, 2026. The full list is below — each row opens the complete, free-to-read transcript.

Ticker

PKG

Exchange

NYSE

Country

US

Sector

Materials

Industry

Containers and Packaging

Calls on record

31

First call

January 30, 2020

Most recent

September 10, 2026

Reporting cadence

quarterly