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Smurfit Westrock PLC (SW)
NYSE:SW
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Smurfit Westrock (SW) AI Stock Analysis

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SW

Smurfit Westrock

(NYSE:SW)

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Neutral 55 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:55Neutral
Price Target:
$39.00
â–¼(-7.67% Downside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:05/05/26
The score is held back primarily by pressured profitability/returns and weakening cash conversion, alongside bearish technicals (below key moving averages with negative MACD). Earnings-call guidance and operational/customer momentum provide some support, but near-term cost headwinds (energy/freight) and a high P/E keep the overall profile only moderately attractive despite the strong dividend yield.
Positive Factors
Integrated supply chain and strong commercial momentum
A vertically integrated model (mills + converting) combined with meaningful new customer wins and a global innovation network supports durable revenue scale and stickiness. Winning 600+ customers and innovation hubs improves product development, cross-sell, and long-term customer retention across markets.
Negative Factors
Compressed profitability and weaker earnings power
Margins are substantially below historical highs, suggesting pricing, mix, or cost structure issues. Persistently low net and EBIT margins reduce ability to convert revenue growth into durable returns, limiting reinvestment capacity and weakening long-term ROE unless margins structurally recover.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Integrated supply chain and strong commercial momentum
A vertically integrated model (mills + converting) combined with meaningful new customer wins and a global innovation network supports durable revenue scale and stickiness. Winning 600+ customers and innovation hubs improves product development, cross-sell, and long-term customer retention across markets.
Read all positive factors

Smurfit Westrock Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Adjusted EBITDA by Geography
Adjusted EBITDA by Geography
Reports operating profitability by region after removing one‑off items, highlighting where margins are strongest or under pressure. Useful for spotting which markets fund corporate returns, how regional costs or pricing affect cash generation, and where management should focus efficiency efforts.
Chart InsightsNorth America is the swing region — after hitting interim highs it fell back in the latest quarter to ~651M as management cited steep volume losses, proactive mill downtime and the deliberate shedding of loss-making contracts, which explains the quarter pullback despite record group EBITDA. Europe and LatAm show steadier sequential gains and are the more reliable margin engines, while corporate costs are drifting more negative. Management’s 2030 targets and buyback plans depend on restoring NA volumes/pricing and controlling energy/downtime risks, so execution in North America is the key risk/reward lever.
Data provided by:The Fly

Smurfit Westrock (SW) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Smurfit Westrock Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
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 ...
How the Company Makes Money
Smurfit Westrock makes money primarily by producing and selling paper-based packaging products and related services. Key revenue streams include: (1) Corrugated packaging and converting: selling corrugated boxes, sheets, and other converted packag...

Smurfit Westrock Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Apr 30, 2026
(Q1-2026)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Aug 05, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The call presented a mix of solid operational and commercial progress — Q1 adj. EBITDA was in line with plan, regions EMEA/APAC and Latin America outperformed with healthy margins, the company secured significant new customers and reaffirmed full-year guidance while launching an ambitious medium-term plan. These positives were tempered by meaningful near-term cost headwinds (notably energy and freight), Q1 weather and downtime impacts, some lingering volume weakness earlier in the year, and targeted asset closures. Management emphasized improving demand trends entering Q2 and active commercial and cost actions to restore margins.
Positive Updates
Group Adjusted EBITDA and Margin in Q1
Delivered adjusted EBITDA of $1,076 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 14% for Q1 2026, described as essentially in line with plan.
Negative Updates
Weather and Downtime Impact
Q1 adjusted EBITDA was impacted by weather events costing approximately $65 million across the group; North America suffered ~ $55 million from weather and downtime costs of $74 million (roughly half of that was unplanned).
Read all updates
Q1-2026 Updates
Negative
Group Adjusted EBITDA and Margin in Q1
Delivered adjusted EBITDA of $1,076 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 14% for Q1 2026, described as essentially in line with plan.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management guided Q2 adjusted EBITDA of $1.1–$1.2 billion and reaffirmed full‑year 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $5.0–$5.3 billion; they also reiterated the medium‑term targets of $7 billion adjusted EBITDA and a 19% group margin by 2030, ~7% adjusted EBITDA CAGR and >300 bps margin expansion, and $14 billion of discretionary free cash flow over the plan. Q1 results were adjusted EBITDA $1,076 million (14% margin), with regional Q1 results of North America $597 million (13.3% margin; ~ $55 million weather impact and $74 million downtime, ~half unplanned), EMEA/APAC $421 million (15.2% margin) and Latin America $109 million (>20% margin). Operational metrics and actions called out included ~600 new corrugated customers added in the quarter, >250 million consumer units converted/being converted to SBS/CUK, 34 innovation centers globally (200+ customers at the Amsterdam event), a planned recycled‑paper price increase of €100/ton and contemplated closure of four small converting sites and a ~200,000 tpy U.K. paper mill. On costs and hedging, management said Q2 gas hedges are ~50% (and ~1/3 each for Q3/Q4), energy headwind for the year is now estimated at roughly $270–$290 million (versus ~$80 million previously cited), recovered‑fiber headwind of ~ $20 million in Q2, and freight pressure of about a $50 million headwind for the year, while lower downtime is expected to benefit Q2 by roughly $40 million.

Smurfit Westrock Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Revenue is growing, but profitability is pressured with TTM net margin around ~2.2% and EBIT margin ~5.7%, and TTM net income down vs 2025. Leverage is moderate-to-elevated (debt-to-equity ~0.69–0.78) and returns are weak (ROE ~3.6–3.8%). Operating cash flow is solid and FCF positive, but FCF momentum and conversion have softened (FCF ~0.36x net income in TTM).
Income Statement
62
Positive
Balance Sheet
58
Neutral
Cash Flow
55
Neutral
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue30.22B31.18B20.38B10.95B12.62B10.48B
Gross Profit5.57B6.04B4.05B2.77B3.06B2.35B
EBITDA4.47B4.77B2.74B1.79B2.13B1.57B
Net Income371.47M699.00M307.93M747.28M965.65M704.64M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets45.17B53.04B43.76B14.05B12.46B11.70B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments674.00M1.05B855.00M1.00B785.41M854.32M
Total Debt980.00M16.18B13.60B4.13B3.74B3.75B
Total Liabilities27.09B31.48B26.37B7.88B7.47B7.31B
Stockholders Equity18.06B21.53B17.36B6.16B4.98B4.38B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.02B1.20B17.00M630.00M503.00M468.06M
Operating Cash Flow3.36B3.39B1.48B1.56B1.43B1.17B
Investing Cash Flow-2.29B-2.14B-2.11B-931.00M-1.02B-1.19B
Financing Cash Flow-1.24B-1.30B607.00M-479.00M-431.00M-16.55M

Smurfit Westrock Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price42.24
Price Trends
50DMA
39.55
Negative
100DMA
41.36
Negative
200DMA
40.39
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.79
Positive
RSI
40.95
Neutral
STOCH
8.31
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SW, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 42.24 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 39.17, above the 50-day MA of 39.55, and above the 200-day MA of 40.39, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.79 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 40.95 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 8.31 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for SW.

Smurfit Westrock Risk Analysis

Smurfit Westrock disclosed 2 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Smurfit Westrock reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 1 New Risks

Smurfit Westrock Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
69
Neutral
$19.00B27.4615.95%2.42%7.86%-13.88%
63
Neutral
$15.13B19.1617.29%1.53%14.00%82.84%
63
Neutral
$10.88B16.0424.33%1.01%7.06%35.16%
61
Neutral
$18.38B12.79-2.54%3.03%1.52%-15.83%
58
Neutral
$17.61B18.215.80%6.20%64.83%-48.00%
55
Neutral
$19.41B90.062.08%4.21%20.90%-40.94%
46
Neutral
$16.35B81.14-20.44%4.69%25.45%-625.24%
* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
SW
Smurfit Westrock
37.74
-4.89
-11.47%
BALL
Ball
56.35
3.80
7.24%
CCK
Crown Holdings
96.46
-0.44
-0.46%
IP
International Paper Co
31.50
-15.15
-32.48%
PKG
Packaging
213.76
25.85
13.76%
AMCR
Amcor
38.50
-4.72
-10.92%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: May 05, 2026