Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $57.31.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Loop Capital set a $71.00 price objective on Smurfit Westrock in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Smurfit Westrock from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smurfit Westrock

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 31.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 36,127,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,397,057,000 after purchasing an additional 8,596,558 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,054,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,119,000 after purchasing an additional 360,078 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,253,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622,799 shares during the period. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the 2nd quarter valued at $243,400,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,460,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,587,000 after buying an additional 318,336 shares during the period. 83.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Smurfit Westrock Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE SW opened at $42.47 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Smurfit Westrock has a 52 week low of $32.73 and a 52 week high of $52.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.18, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $46.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.48.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) last announced its 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). Smurfit Westrock had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 4.60%. The firm had revenue of $8.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.05) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Smurfit Westrock will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Dividend Announcement

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

Smurfit Westrock Company Profile

Smurfit Westrock plc (NYSE:SW) is a global provider of paper-based packaging solutions. The company manufactures corrugated packaging, folding cartons, paper bags and sacks, beverage packaging, consumer packaging, point-of-sale displays, and other customized products designed to protect, transport, and present goods.

The company also operates paper mills, recycling facilities, and packaging-design and testing operations. Its products serve customers in industries including food and beverage, consumer goods, retail, industrial products, and e-commerce.