Smurfit Westrock PLC $SW Shares Purchased by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its Smurfit Westrock stake by 3.3% to 1.22 million shares, worth approximately $48.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 83.38% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: Eleven analysts rate the stock a Buy and two rate it a Hold, giving Smurfit Westrock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $57.23. Several firms recently raised their targets, including JPMorgan, which lifted its target to $71.
• Results were mixed, with income support from the dividend: Quarterly revenue rose 1.1% year over year to $8.03 billion and exceeded expectations, but adjusted earnings of $0.35 per share missed the $0.42 consensus amid higher costs. The company maintained its $0.4523 quarterly dividend, representing an annualized yield of approximately 3.8%.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW - Free Report) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,218,471 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,940 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.23% of Smurfit Westrock worth $48,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the 4th quarter valued at $495,335,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 36,127,677 shares of the company's stock worth $1,397,057,000 after purchasing an additional 8,596,558 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd grew its stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 81.9% during the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 18,400,418 shares of the company's stock worth $793,978,000 after purchasing an additional 8,286,205 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 8,132.7% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,724,100 shares of the company's stock worth $221,351,000 after purchasing an additional 5,654,571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ruffer LLP increased its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 473.3% in the fourth quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 4,504,151 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,447,000 after buying an additional 3,718,562 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Smurfit Westrock from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Smurfit Westrock from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Smurfit Westrock from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on Smurfit Westrock from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Smurfit Westrock from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Smurfit Westrock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.23.

Trending Headlines about Smurfit Westrock

Here are the key news stories impacting Smurfit Westrock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price targets raised: Truist Financial lifted its target from $55 to $57 and assigned a “buy” rating, while Wells Fargo raised its target from $52 to $55 and rated the shares “overweight.” These targets imply meaningful upside from recent levels. Benzinga analyst ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and cash flow remained resilient: Second-quarter sales rose 1.1% year over year to $8.03 billion, exceeding expectations, while operating cash flow reached $765 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.14 billion, with a 14.2% margin. Second-quarter 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained: Smurfit Westrock declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4523 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of approximately 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is August 14, with payment scheduled for September 10.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year outlook remains substantial: Management signaled adjusted EBITDA of $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion for 2026. While the range reflects pressure from higher freight costs, it is broadly consistent with some prior analyst expectations and leaves room for an improved earnings profile in 2027. 2026 EBITDA outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly earnings missed estimates: Adjusted earnings were $0.35 per share versus the $0.42 consensus estimate. Net income was $88 million, representing a 1.1% margin, as higher freight, energy and other input costs weighed on profitability. The weaker results triggered a premarket gap lower and remain the main reason for the stock’s decreased price. Second-quarter earnings miss

Smurfit Westrock Price Performance

Smurfit Westrock stock opened at $47.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.83. Smurfit Westrock PLC has a 12 month low of $32.73 and a 12 month high of $52.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.01 billion, a PE ratio of 50.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.95.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $8.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.93 billion. Smurfit Westrock had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 4.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.05) earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Smurfit Westrock PLC will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.4523 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Smurfit Westrock's payout ratio is presently 251.39%.

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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