Packaging Corp. of America Misses Where it Counts

Packaging Corp. of America (NYSE: PKG) reported earnings on Oct. 15. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Packaging Corp. of America met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded and GAAP earnings per share dropped.

Gross margins expanded, operating margins grew, net margins shrank.

Revenue details
Packaging Corp. of America recorded revenue of $723.5 million. The 10 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw a top line of $718.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $670.8 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.55. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.56 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.41 for Q3 were 2.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.42 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 22.5%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 12.7%, 210 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.5%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $713.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.58.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.81 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.04.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 178 members out of 192 rating the stock outperform, and 14 members rating it underperform. Among 57 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 55 give Packaging Corp. of America a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Packaging Corp. of America is outperform, with an average price target of $35.47.

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