Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.6923.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SW shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Smurfit Westrock from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. 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. Weiss Ratings raised Smurfit Westrock from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Smurfit Westrock from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smurfit Westrock

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Smurfit Westrock during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Smurfit Westrock by 187.6% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 768 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 83.38% of the company’s stock.

Smurfit Westrock Stock Up 2.5%

NYSE SW opened at $43.26 on Monday. Smurfit Westrock has a 52 week low of $32.73 and a 52 week high of $52.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $46.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.34.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.07). Smurfit Westrock had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 4.60%. The company had revenue of $8.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.05) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Smurfit Westrock will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.4523 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Smurfit Westrock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 191.49%.

Smurfit Westrock Company Profile

Smurfit Westrock plc (NYSE:SW) is a global provider of paper and corrugated packaging solutions. The company designs and manufactures products such as corrugated shipping containers, consumer packaging, folding cartons, paper bags, displays and other fiber-based packaging used across a range of industries.

The company also produces containerboard and other paper products that support its packaging operations, along with recycling and packaging-related services. Its customers include businesses in the food and beverage, consumer products, industrial, e-commerce and retail sectors.