Fact based stock research
WestRock (NYSE:WRK)

US96145D1054

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

WestRock stock research in summary

westrock.com


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with investment alternatives), WestRock (Paper Packaging, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of WestRock are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 69) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 46), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on WestRock's financial characteristics. As the company WestRock's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 55) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 69), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 46) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more


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Country USA
Industry Paper Packaging
Index Low Emissions, S&P 500
Size class XX-Large

21-Mar-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.




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Research History: WestRock

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

Most recent update of the stock research: 21-Mar-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better WestRock is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with investment alternatives), WestRock (Paper Packaging, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of WestRock are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 69) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 46), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on WestRock's financial characteristics. As the company WestRock's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 55) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 69), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 46) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

Last update of combined financial performance: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of WestRock the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), WestRock shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where three out of four indicators are above average for WestRock. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 65 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 65% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for WestRock's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 75. Finally, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of WestRock are expected to be higher than for 68% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 68). The only low rank is for expected profits with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 24, indicating that the market expects the company's profit to be low despite a high dividend. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on WestRock's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The low Profit Rank could result from a one-off charge, for instance, for an accident, a legal settlement, or a restructuring project. If the company keeps its dividends high, the low expected profit may be transitory. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Capital, and Dividends are reliable indicators for good stock price value, a low stock price. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more


VALUE METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

Last update of Value Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of WestRock; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 69 (better than 69% compared with alternatives), WestRock shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for WestRock. Capital Growth has a rank of 91, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 17% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 94 (above 94% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 45, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 55% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 17. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 69, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for WestRock, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

Last update of Growth Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of WestRock.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 46 (better than 46% compared with alternatives), the company WestRock has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of WestRock is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for WestRock and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 53, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 53% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 48, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 52% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 28, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with alternatives), WestRock has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for WestRock are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with WestRock and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

Last update of Safety Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of WestRock and the more cash is available to service its debt.


Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT 2021 2022 2023 2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for WestRock.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for WestRock from March 21, 2024.

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