Smurfit Westrock PLC (SW) - What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts remain broadly positive: Smurfit Westrock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with 11 buys and 2 holds among 13 analysts. The average 12-month price target is $56.69, above the reported $42.22 share price.
• Institutional ownership is substantial: Institutional investors own 83.38% of the company, with several firms increasing their positions during the third quarter, including Artemis Investment Management.
• Recent results were mixed: Quarterly revenue of $8.03 billion exceeded estimates, but earnings per share of $0.35 missed expectations of $0.42. The company also pays a $1.81 annualized dividend, yielding approximately 4.3%.

Shares of Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.69.

A number of research firms have weighed in on SW. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Smurfit Westrock from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Smurfit Westrock from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smurfit Westrock

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SW. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 7.2% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 16,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $723,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 15,482 shares of the company's stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 1,639 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 135,584 shares of the company's stock worth $5,620,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 28.1% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,326 shares of the company's stock worth $676,000 after purchasing an additional 3,363 shares during the period. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its position in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 719.6% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 3,214,979 shares of the company's stock worth $141,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,822,720 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.38% of the company's stock.

Smurfit Westrock Price Performance

Smurfit Westrock stock opened at $42.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $44.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.49. Smurfit Westrock has a 12 month low of $32.73 and a 12 month high of $52.65. The company has a market capitalization of $22.14 billion, a PE ratio of 44.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $8.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.93 billion. Smurfit Westrock had a return on equity of 4.60% and a net margin of 1.59%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.05) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Smurfit Westrock will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.4523 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Smurfit Westrock's payout ratio is presently 192.55%.

Smurfit Westrock Company Profile

Smurfit Westrock plc NYSE: SW is a global provider of sustainable paper and packaging solutions. The company produces containerboard, corrugated packaging, folding cartons, paper bags, displays and other packaging products designed for consumer, retail, industrial and e-commerce applications. It also provides packaging design, supply-chain support and recycling services.

Smurfit Westrock was formed in July 2024 through the combination of Smurfit Kappa Group and WestRock. The transaction brought together two established packaging businesses with roots in Europe and North America.

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