Operator
Thank you for joining Packaging Corporation of America’s Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Your host today will be Mark Kowlzan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PCA. Upon conclusion of his narrative, there will be a question-and-answer session.
I would now like to turn the conference call over to Mr. Kowlzan. Please go ahead when you’re ready.
Mark Kowlzan
Chairman of the Board & CEO
Thank you, Jamie. Appreciate it very much. Good morning, everyone, and thank you all for participating in Packaging Corporation of America’s Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Release Conference Call. Again, I’m Mark Kowlzan, Chairman and CEO of PCA. And with me on the call today is Tom Hassfurther, our President; and Kent Pflederer, our Chief Financial Officer.
I’ll begin the call as usual with an overview of the third quarter results, and then I’ll be turning the call over to Tom and Kent, who will provide further details. And then after that, I’ll be wrapping things up, and then we’d be glad to take questions.
Yesterday, we reported third quarter net income of $262 million or $2.93 per share. Excluding special items, third quarter 2026 net income was $272 million or $3.04 per share compared to the third quarter 2025 net income of $247 million or $2.73 per share. Third quarter net sales were $2.6 billion in 2026 and $2.3
