Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) Trading Up 2.7% – Time to Buy?

Smurfit Westrock Ltd (NYSE:SW) shot up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $45.63 and last traded at $45.47. 639,075 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,556,099 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SW. Citigroup boosted their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Argus began coverage on Smurfit Westrock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Smurfit Westrock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.70.

Smurfit Westrock Stock Up 2.7 %

The company has a market cap of $23.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.79 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50 day moving average is $51.96 and its 200 day moving average is $50.71.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.33). Smurfit Westrock had a return on equity of 6.16% and a net margin of 0.63%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Smurfit Westrock Ltd will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Smurfit Westrock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.4308 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Smurfit Westrock’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.79%. Smurfit Westrock’s dividend payout ratio is presently 312.73%.

Insider Transactions at Smurfit Westrock

In related news, insider Alvaro Henao sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total value of $215,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 44,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,391,057.90. This represents a 8.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ken Bowles sold 24,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.06, for a total value of $1,333,828.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 111,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,136,877.48. The trade was a 17.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smurfit Westrock

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SW. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Smurfit Westrock by 117.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 516 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators acquired a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Smurfit Westrock during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 83.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.