KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION vs PACKAGING CORP OF AMERICA, two Paper & Packaging stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where KMB and PKG diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), KMB reads -3.3% and PKG reads +15.1%; on revenue growth, KMB reads +0.2% and PKG reads +7.8%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's KMB price has a different growth bar priced in than PKG (-3.3% implied for KMB vs +15.1% for PKG); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What KMB's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What PKG's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | KMB | PKG |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $109.26 | $246.66 |
| Market cap | $36.4B | $22.0B |
| Sector | Paper & Packaging | Paper & Packaging |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -3.3% | +15.1% |
| P/E | 17.1 | 30.0 |
| P/B | 19.02 | 4.79 |
| P/S | 2.20 | 2.38 |
| EV/EBITDA | 14.4 | 14.1 |
| Revenue growth | +0.2% | +7.8% |
| Gross margin | 36.9% | 19.1% |
| Operating margin | 18.1% | 10.6% |
| Net margin | 12.8% | 8.0% |
| Return on equity | 110.7% | 16.2% |
| Return on assets | 12.3% | 6.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 73.1% | 9.8% |
| FCF yield | 5.0% | 3.2% |
| Dividend yield | 4.6% | 2.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.32 | 0.86 |
| Current ratio | 0.77 | 3.07 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.80 | 7.68 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.