Packaging Giant Stock Plummets 5%... $1.4 Trillion Vanishes in a Day

SMURFIT WESTROCK PLC (NYSE: SW) shares fell 5.25% on the New York Stock Exchange on the 15th, closing at $37.49 and erasing roughly $980 million (₩1.4 trillion) from its market capitalization. The company’s market cap now stands at about $19.6 billion (approximately ₩27 trillion), with trading volume exceeding 1.86 million shares.

In its February release of full‐year 2025 results, Smurfit Westrock reported annual revenue of $31.1 billion and net income of around €590 million—its first-year performance since the merger—and announced a 5% dividend increase. Recently, the company refinanced its outstanding dollar and euro bonds maturing in 2027 through a new corporate bond issuance and has earmarked part of the proceeds for green projects, sharpening both its financial structure and its sustainable investment strategy.

Formed in 2024 by the merger of Ireland’s Smurfit Kappa and the U.S.’s WestRock, Smurfit Westrock is a leading global producer of paper and corrugated packaging, supplying materials primarily in North America and Europe. While e-commerce growth and stricter eco-packaging regulations are viewed as long-term growth drivers, the business remains sensitive to economic cycles and exposed to regulatory risks, including allegations of price collusion.