How Does Smurfit WestRock Stock Stack Up Against Its Peers?
Smurfit WestRock stock, a global packaging leader making corrugated boxes, paperboard, and sustainable fiber-based packaging, has seen a decline over the past year. But how does it truly measure up against peers in a transforming packaging industry driven by sustainability and M&A? A closer look reveals very strong revenue growth, yet profitability metrics lag some rivals, and a higher valuation points to limited upside against more efficient or cheaper competitors.
- SW’s 7.0% operating margin, trailing SEE (15.1%), suggests merger integration costs or raw material price pressures.
- SW’s 89.5% revenue growth, outpacing peers, reflects its 2024 merger creating the largest global packaging entity.
- SW’s 17.6% stock decline, underperforming peers with a 30.6 PE, indicates market concerns over merger integration and valuation.
Here’s how Smurfit WestRock stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| SW | IP | PKG | GPK | SON | SEE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 22.9 | 22.7 | 20.1 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 6.2 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 31.1 | 25.6 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 7.1 | 5.3 |
| PE Ratio | 30.6 | -17.8 | 22.6 | 9.0 | 7.7 | 13.5 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 89.5% | 42.7% | 7.3% | -3.9% | 67.9% | -1.2% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 7.0% | -0.0% | 14.8% | 11.2% | 9.0% | 15.1% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 2.6% | -1.1% | 8.3% | -3.6% | 4.2% | 7.2% |
| 12M Market Return | -17.6% | -23.6% | -3.4% | -42.7% | 4.9% | 21.3% |
Below we compare SW’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
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| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 89.5% | 74.6% | -10.5% | 18.1% |
| IP | 42.7% | -1.6% | -10.6% | 9.3% |
| PKG | 7.3% | 7.4% | -8.0% | 9.7% |
| GPK | -3.9% | -6.6% | -0.1% | 31.9% |
| SON | 67.9% | -2.5% | -7.1% | 4.8% |
| SEE | -1.2% | -1.8% | -2.7% | 2.0% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 7.0% | 6.6% | 12.0% | 12.8% |
| IP | -0.0% | 2.6% | 4.0% | 8.3% |
| PKG | 14.8% | 14.0% | 14.3% | 17.5% |
| GPK | 11.2% | 12.8% | 13.2% | 11.0% |
| SON | 9.0% | 7.8% | 10.3% | 10.5% |
| SEE | 15.1% | 15.0% | 14.9% | 16.8% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 30.6 | 46.8 | 16.8 | � |
| IP | -17.8 | 24.6 | 64.8 | 8.7 |
| PKG | 22.6 | 22.8 | 26.2 | 14.6 |
| GPK | 9.0 | 7.0 | 11.6 | 14.6 |
| SON | 7.7 | 26.3 | 10.1 | 11.7 |
| SEE | 13.5 | 22.8 | 14.3 | 10.8 |
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