INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY vs Smurfit Westrock plc, two Paper & Packaging stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where IP and SW diverge most: on implied growth (priced in), IP reads -1.8% and SW reads +16.9%; on net margin, IP reads -13.8% and SW reads 1.6%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's IP price has a different growth bar priced in than SW (-1.8% implied for IP vs +16.9% for SW); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | IP | SW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $40.81 | $45.97 |
| Market cap | $21.7B | $24.2B |
| Sector | Paper & Packaging | Paper & Packaging |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -1.8% | +16.9% |
| P/E | — | 48.9 |
| P/B | 1.47 | 1.34 |
| P/S | 0.89 | 0.77 |
| EV/EBITDA | 8.0 | 5.8 |
| Revenue growth | +43.9% | +1.7% |
| Gross margin | — | 17.4% |
| Operating margin | — | 3.9% |
| Net margin | -13.8% | 1.6% |
| Return on equity | -22.6% | 2.8% |
| Return on assets | -9.2% | 1.1% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 5.3% |
| FCF yield | 2.5% | 4.2% |
| Dividend yield | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Current ratio | 1.21 | 1.45 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.90 | 1.41 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.