Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) Stock Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday after Weiss Ratings upgraded the stock from a hold (c) rating to a hold (c+) rating. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $43.52 and traded as high as $46.21. Smurfit Westrock shares last traded at $45.1690, with a volume of 8,466,757 shares trading hands.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 target price on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Loop Capital set a $71.00 target price on Smurfit Westrock in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Smurfit Westrock from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.15.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SW. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Smurfit Westrock in the 2nd quarter worth $243,400,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 719.6% in the third 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 last quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the second quarter worth about $120,660,000. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT purchased a new stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the first quarter worth about $60,139,000. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the second quarter worth about $62,885,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.38% of the company’s stock.

Smurfit Westrock Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $43.70 and a 200 day moving average of $43.52. The company has a market capitalization of $23.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.15). Smurfit Westrock had a return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 1.50%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Smurfit Westrock PLC will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.4523 per share. This represents a $1.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. Smurfit Westrock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 203.37%.

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.