Benson Investment Management Company Inc. Takes Position in Smurfit Westrock PLC $SW

Key Points

• Benson Investment Management opened a new position in Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW), buying 164,665 shares valued at about $6.37 million, which represents roughly 2.2% of its portfolio and is its 20th largest holding.
• Smurfit Westrock raised its quarterly dividend to $0.4523 (annualized $1.81), yielding about 4.3%, though the dividend payout ratio is high at 136.09%, indicating dividends may exceed current earnings coverage.
• Insiders sold stock in February (CFO 10,000 shares; CEO 40,000 shares at ≈$51–$51.5), while analysts maintain a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $53.91 (11 Buys, 1 Hold, 1 Sell).

Benson Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new position in Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 164,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,368,000. Smurfit Westrock comprises about 2.2% of Benson Investment Management Company Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 113.3% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 640 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Smurfit Westrock in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Smurfit Westrock in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.38% of the company's stock.

Smurfit Westrock Stock Performance

NYSE SW opened at $42.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.79 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Smurfit Westrock PLC has a twelve month low of $32.73 and a twelve month high of $52.65. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.66.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter. Smurfit Westrock had a return on equity of 6.10% and a net margin of 2.24%.The firm had revenue of $7.58 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Smurfit Westrock PLC will post 3.25 EPS for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.4523 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Smurfit Westrock's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Smurfit Westrock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 136.09%.

Insider Transactions at Smurfit Westrock

In other news, CFO Ken Bowles sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.26, for a total value of $512,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 151,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,773,271.44. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Anthony P. J. Smurfit sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.54, for a total value of $2,061,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,610 shares in the company, valued at $84,660,119.40. The trade was a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $59.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Smurfit Westrock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Smurfit Westrock from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.91.

Smurfit Westrock Company Profile

Smurfit Westrock Plc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and sells containerboard, corrugated containers, and other paper-based packaging products in Ireland and internationally. The company produces containerboard that it converts into corrugated containers or sells to third parties, as well as produces other types of paper, such as consumer packaging board, sack paper, graphic paper, solid board and graphic board, and other paper-based packaging products, such as consumer packaging, solid board packaging, paper sacks, and other packaging products, including bag-in-box.

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