Smurfit Westrock Surges to 320th in Trading Volume Amid 54.68% Jump Despite 2.83% Drop

On August 20, 2025, Smurfit Westrock (SW) recorded a trading volume of $320 million, a 54.68% increase from the previous day, ranking it 320th in market activity. The stock closed down 2.83%, reflecting mixed investor sentiment amid earnings and valuation dynamics.

Analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus for SW, with an average rating of 2.90 based on nine buy and one hold recommendation. Institutional ownership remains strong at 83.38%, led by major shareholders like Vanguard Group and State Street Corp. This aligns with its 37th position in the basic materials sector out of 366 stocks, highlighting its relative appeal in the packaging industry.

Recent earnings data revealed a $0.12 miss in Q2 EPS, reported at $0.45 versus $0.57 expected. Quarterly revenue surged 167.4% year-over-year, yet the stock's P/E ratio of 64.67 remains elevated compared to the market average of 28.51. While its price-to-book ratio of 1.28 suggests reasonable valuation, a projected 42.36% dividend payout ratio next year raises sustainability concerns despite a current 4.04% yield.

News sentiment for the week scored 1.40, outperforming the sector average of 0.53, though 13 articles tracked by MarketBeat indicate moderate media attention. Insider activity remained neutral, with no transactions reported in the past three months. Short interest data remains unavailable, limiting insights into bearish positioning.

A backtest of a strategy buying top 500 volume stocks and holding for one day from 2022 to present yielded $2,385.14 in profit, demonstrating the strategy’s moderate effectiveness in capturing short-term momentum in high-volume names like Smurfit Westrock.