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The full-year results for Smurfit Westrock Plc (NYSE:SW) were released last week, making it a good time to revisit its performance. Revenues of US$21b smashed analyst forecasts, although statutory earnings came up 59% short, at US$0.82 per share. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.
Check out our latest analysis for Smurfit Westrock
Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Smurfit Westrock's 13 analysts is for revenues of US$32.0b in 2025. This would reflect a major 52% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to shoot up 416% to US$3.18. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$31.8b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.30 in 2025. The analysts seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the small dip in their earnings per share numbers for next year.
The consensus price target held steady at US$60.29, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Smurfit Westrock at US$68.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$47.00. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure.
One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. It's clear from the latest estimates that Smurfit Westrock's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 52% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2025 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 10% p.a. over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 5.1% annually. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Smurfit Westrock to grow faster than the wider industry.