Investopedia: Deleveraging And Diversification Make Graphic Packaging Worth Watching

By and large, it's hard to get excited about owning paper and paper packaging stocks for the long term. A few strong operational stories such as Rock-Tenn (NYSE:RKT) and Packaging Corp (NYSE:PKG) have outperformed, but by and large this is an industry with very modest revenue growth and highly variable input costs. All of that said, I think investors should take a closer look at Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK). Not only has the company made good progress with operating efficiencies, it is also a long-term deleveraging and diversification story.

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http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2013/Deleveraging-And-Diversification-Make-Graphic-Packaging-Worth-Watching-GPK-RKT-PKG-MWV0107.aspx

Investopedia: Will New Management Breather New Life Into Sealed Air?

Packaging isn't normally a very controversial or exciting business; it's hard to work up a lot of enthusiasm for a new type of shrink film or bottle cap. Nevertheless, Sealed Air (NYSE:SEE) has managed to make its corner of the packaging industry a little more exciting with an ill-considered deal that has already squandered meaningful shareholder capital. With new management on the way, and bringing a bold new plan, the question remains as to how much value is available in these shares.

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http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2013/Will-New-Management-Breathe-New-Life-Into-Sealed-Air-SEE-BMS-ECL-SON0102.aspx

Investopedia: Is Too Much Expected Of Bemis?

It would stand to reason that a company's products that help extend the shelf life of food and/or offer improvements in customer experiences would do pretty well. And to a certain extent, that has been true for Bemis (NYSE:BMS). At a minimum, Bemis has been an excellent dividend stock. The question now, though, is whether investor expectations are running a little too high for a company whose competitive advantages don't really translate into clearly superior returns on capital or free cash flow (FCF).

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http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Is-Too-Much-Expected-Of-Bemis-BMS-SEE-SON-ATR1228.aspx

Investopedia: Greif Looks Set Up For An Interesting 2013

The stock of Greif (NYSE:GEF), a company that makes industrial packaging products like drums (steel, fiber or plastic), rigid bulk containers and paper packaging, is one of those that is pretty frustrating to investors, as you have to be willing to buy (or sell) into considerable uncertainty. While 2013 looks like it will be a challenging year for industrial companies, investors are also likely to be on the lookout for signs of bottoming, and Greif could do well on that trade.

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http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Greif-Looks-Set-Up-For-An-Interesting-2013-GEF-PKG-SEE-BMS1228.aspx

Seeking Alpha: Can Labelmaker Multi-Color Make The Leverage Stick?

Multi-Color (LABL) is the sort of obscure small-cap company that I love; the company's products are ubiquitous and essential (product labels), but nobody really ever thinks about them. What's more, Multi-Color is a good play not only on the overall volume growth of consumer goods, but also on the increasing sophistication of labels and the very fragmented nature of the industry. While Multi-Color is not a very liquid or well-covered stock, I believe patient investors will be impressed with what this company becomes over the next three, five, or 10 years.

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Can Labelmaker Multi-Color Make The Leverage Stick?

Investopedia: AptarGroup - When A Great Business Doesn't Mean A Great Stock

I wish I could like AptarGroup's (NYSE:ATR) stock as much as I like the business. After all, there's something to be said for a company that has leveraged its expertise in valves, pumps and closures to become a leading player in products like fine-mist spray pumps, lotion pumps, nasal spray pumps and a variety of innovative food and beverage packages. Unfortunately, it looks like the Street is already well acquainted with the good points of this company, and the stock sports a fairly demanding valuation.

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http://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/AptarGroup-When-A-Great-Business-Doesnt-Mean-A-Great-Stock-ATR-MWV-SEE-PEP1011.aspx

Dividend.com: Profiling 7 Companies That Have Raised Dividends For 25 Years

There is more to successful dividend investing than simply spotting high yields. Rather, the most successful dividend stock investments are those where the company’s underlying fundamentals continue to improve and where ongoing free cash flow growth can continue to support higher payouts. The following, then, are seven companies that have been uncommonly strong dividend growth stories over the past 25 years.

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http://www.dividend.com/blog/?p=52107

Investopedia: Has Greif Reset Expectations?

Although industrial packaging company Greif (NYSE:GEF) has compelling share in categories like steel and plastic drums, as well as multiwall bags, and a solid long-term plan for boosting margins, this year has ended on a sour note. With sales in Europe down significantly, Greif is going to have to reestablish its credibility with the Street. Should it do so, though, there could be worthwhile rewards here for patient investors.

A Sour End to the Year  
Arguably the best that can be said about Greif's fiscal fourth quarter is that it didn't surprise anyone, as the company had warned the Street back in late November. Revenue rose 14% as reported, but organic growth was basically nonexistent, as declines in comparable volume erased some price increases. Although reported revenue growth in the industrial packaging business came in at 15%, the real result was basically zero, while there was real revenue growth in the much smaller flexible packaging business.

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http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Has-Greif-Reset-Expectations-GEF-BLL-IP-SI1213.aspx

Investopedia: Industry At A Glance - Packaging

Packaging is scarcely ever noticed, but it is everywhere. A quick trip to the supermarket or pharmacy will show not only the ubiquity of packaging products, but the wide scope of form and function that is available to food, beverage, personal care and healthcare companies. There is certainly a cyclical aspect to the packaging industry and input costs are always significant, but investors may want to give this industry more than just a passing thought. There are certainly some interesting companies out there today and some of these stocks could be interesting at current values.

Ball Corp (NYSE:BLL)  
Ball Corp is quite simply the world's largest metal beverage container manufacturer, with about 40% share (rivals Crown Holdings (NYSE:CCK) and Rexam have roughly 20% share each). Ball's customer list is largely a roster of who's who in the beverage industry - soft drink makers like Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) and PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), as well as brewers like Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD). Ball Corp certainly has some vulnerability to higher metal prices, but the company's market position is such that it can pass on at least some of this to its customers. The bigger threat to Ball Corp may be substitution, as plastic containers make further inroads into the beverage sector.


Read the full piece at Investopedia:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Industry-At-A-Glance---Packaging-BLL-CCK-BMS-MWV-RKT-SEE-ATR0831.aspx