Smurfit Westrock PLC $SW Shares Sold by Raiffeisen Bank International AG

Raiffeisen Bank International AG lowered its position in Smurfit Westrock PLC (NYSE:SW) by 46.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,570 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,492 shares during the quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s holdings in Smurfit Westrock were worth $1,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 113.3% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Smurfit Westrock during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Smurfit Westrock in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Smurfit Westrock in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 50.0% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. 83.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Smurfit Westrock Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:SW opened at $48.71 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $42.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Smurfit Westrock PLC has a 12-month low of $32.73 and a 12-month high of $54.00. The firm has a market cap of $25.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.62 and a beta of 1.09.

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $7.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.63 billion. Smurfit Westrock had a return on equity of 6.10% and a net margin of 2.24%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Smurfit Westrock PLC will post 3.25 EPS for the current year.

Smurfit Westrock Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.4523 per share. This represents a $1.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Smurfit Westrock’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Smurfit Westrock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 135.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SW shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Smurfit Westrock from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $58.00 price target on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $61.00 price target on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a research report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.20.

Insider Activity at Smurfit Westrock

In other news, CEO Anthony P. J. Smurfit sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.54, for a total value of $2,061,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,642,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,660,119.40. This trade represents a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Ken Bowles sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.26, for a total value of $512,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 151,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,773,271.44. This represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.