Packaging Corporation of America Reports First Quarter 2026 Results

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) today reported first quarter 2026 net income of $171 million, or $1.91 per share, and net income of $215 million, or $2.40 per share, excluding special items. First quarter net sales were $2.4 billion in 2026 and $2.1 billion in 2025.

Reported earnings in the first quarter of 2026 include special items primarily for restructuring of the Wallula, WA containerboard mill, acquisition and integration-related costs and closure costs related to corrugated products facilities.

Excluding special items, the $.09 per share increase in first quarter 2026 earnings compared to the first quarter of 2025 was driven primarily by favorable prices and mix in the legacy packaging business $.17, lower fiber cost in the legacy packaging business $.11, lower maintenance outage expenses $.09, lower labor and operating costs in the legacy packaging business $.08, favorable price and mix in the paper segment $.02, favorable volume in the paper segment $.01, lower tax rate $.01 and lower share count $.01. These items were partially offset by higher freight costs ($.13), lower production and sales volume in the legacy packaging business ($.11), higher depreciation expense in the legacy packaging business ($.05), higher labor and operating costs in the paper segment ($.03) and higher corporate and other expenses ($.03). The acquired Greif operations generated a loss of ($.06) during the quarter.

Excluding special items, earnings were $.20 above first quarter guidance of $2.20 per share primarily due to favorable volume and mix in the legacy packaging segment, favorable labor and operating costs, and a lower tax rate. These items were partially offset by higher freight costs and lower than expected earnings from the acquired Greif operations due to lower volume and higher costs from the January winter storm and unfavorable mix, freight and recycled fiber costs.

Financial information by segment is summarized below and in the schedules with this release.

In the legacy packaging business, total corrugated products shipments were up 1.2% and shipments per day were up 2.8% compared to the first quarter of 2025, with one fewer shipping day in 2026. Including the acquired Greif business, total corrugated products shipments were up 19.9% and shipments per day were up 21.8% compared to the first quarter of 2025. Containerboard production was 1,398,000 tons, and containerboard inventory was down 39,000 tons compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 and up 48,000 tons compared to the first quarter of 2025, primarily due to the acquisition. In the Paper segment, sales volume was up 2.7% from the first quarter of 2025.

Commenting on reported results, Mark W. Kowlzan, Chairman and CEO, said, "We achieved a first quarter record in shipments per day in our legacy corrugated operations. We saw continued demand improvement which, together with improved mix, drove our strong earnings performance for the quarter. Our containerboard mills performed exceptionally well both in terms of production and efficiency, which helped us mitigate the effects of higher freight, recycled fiber and other input costs as well as the weather challenges we faced earlier in the quarter. We continued to make good progress on the integration of our acquired Greif business, and significantly reduced inventories on hand at the corrugated operations. With strong demand and second quarter maintenance outages at five of our containerboard mills, we will need to continue to run the mill system at full capacity to support our containerboard needs. Our Paper segment exceeded our expectations on sales volume and we began to implement our previously announced price increases, driving high margins and profitability. I am very proud of the performance of our people across the entire business, achieving commercial and operating success that is evident in our results."

Mr. Kowlzan added, "Looking ahead as we move from the first quarter into the second quarter, we expect demand in the Packaging segment to remain strong and corrugated volume to increase with one more shipping day and some seasonal improvement. Prices for containerboard and corrugated products will move higher with the implementation of our previously announced price increases and improved corrugated mix. Packaging mill production will be slightly higher with one more operating day and production improvements at some of the mills more than offsetting the impact of maintenance outages. Mill maintenance outage expenses will be higher. We expect flat volume and higher prices in the Paper segment as we continue to operate at full capacity and implement our previously announced paper price increases. Costs for freight, fiber and chemicals will be up due to higher prices and energy costs are expected to be seasonally lower. The sequential improvement in expenses for wages and benefits that we normally experience from first quarter to second quarter will be less than in past years due to higher expected stock compensation expenses and benefits costs in the second quarter. Finally, our tax rate will be higher due to the tax-related benefit of share-based compensation awards that vested in the first quarter. Considering these items, we expect second quarter earnings of $2.33 per share, excluding special items."

We present our earnings expectation for the upcoming quarter excluding special items as special items are difficult to predict and quantify and may reflect the effect of future events. We currently expect to incur costs related to the Wallula mill restructuring, acquisition and integration related costs for our recent acquisitions and charges related to closures of corrugated products facilities during the second quarter; however, additional special items may arise due to second quarter events.

PCA is the third largest producer of containerboard products and a leading producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America. PCA operates ten mills and 91 corrugated products plants and related facilities.

Some of the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements about our future earnings and financial condition, expected benefits from acquisitions and restructuring activities, our industry and our business strategy. Statements that contain words such as "will", "should", "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "hope" or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of PCA. Because forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, the plans, actions and actual results of PCA could differ materially. Among the factors that could cause plans, actions and results to differ materially from PCA's current expectations include the following: the impact of general economic conditions; conditions in the paper and packaging industries, including competition, product demand and product pricing; fluctuations in wood fiber and recycled fiber costs; fluctuations in purchased energy costs; the possibility of unplanned outages or interruptions at our principal facilities; and legislative or regulatory requirements, particularly concerning environmental matters, as well as those identified under Item 1A. Risk Factors in PCA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and in subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at the SEC's website at "www.sec.gov".

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Barbara Sessions

Packaging Corporation of America

INVESTOR RELATIONS: (877) 454-2509

PCA's Website: www.packagingcorp.com