# Smurfit WestRock plc (SW) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Basic Materials / Containers & Packaging. Price $45.83, market value $24.0 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 48.8×** (5-yr avg 27.8×, 3-yr avg 34.3×). Smurfit WestRock plc trades at 48.8× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 27.8×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Basic Materials median in the September 2026 study was 19.0×. Forward P/E is 13.4×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **PEG: 0.22**. A PEG of 0.22 means the P/E is low relative to expected earnings growth: the market is not paying much for that growth.
- **Price / sales: 0.8×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.8×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 1.3×**. The shares trade at 1.3× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 8.7×**. Enterprise value is 8.7× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 4.2%** (5-yr avg 4.6%). Free cash flow equals 4.2% of the market value, in line with its five-year average of 4.6%.
- **Earnings yield: 2.1%**. The inverse of the P/E: 2.1% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 17.9%**. Smurfit WestRock plc keeps 17.9% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, a thin margin typical of retail, distribution and commodity businesses.
- **Operating margin: 4.7%**. 4.7% of revenue is left after running the business, which leaves little cushion in a downturn.
- **Net margin: 2.2%**. 2.2% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 3.8%**. 3.8% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 3.8%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 3.8%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: 1.1%**. Each dollar of assets produces 1.1% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 47.7%** (3-yr 32.2%/yr). Revenue grew 47.7% over the last year.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): 62.2%** (3-yr -30.5%/yr). Earnings per share rose 62.2%, faster than revenue, so margins expanded or the share count shrank.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 33.6%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 33.6% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.74**. Debt is 0.74 times equity, moderate leverage.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 3.0×**. It would take 3.0 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, above the 3× level most lenders treat as comfortable.
- **Altman Z-score: 1.92**. A Z-score of 1.92 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 6/9**. 6 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 3.95%** ($1.77 per share, trailing). Smurfit WestRock plc yields 3.95%, an income-level yield.
- **Payout ratio: 129%** (91% of free cash flow). The dividend exceeds earnings (129% payout), though free cash flow still covers it.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): -5.7%/yr** (1-yr -13.9%). The dividend has not grown over five years.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 1.3%** (YTD 20.9%, 3-mo 11.0%). The shares are up 1.3% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -13.0%** (40.0% above the low). Trading 13% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 44**. An RSI of 44 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 1.43** (volatility 44%). Beta of 1.43 against the S&P 500: the shares move much more than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=SW · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/sw

Not investment advice.