AU vs. SW: AngloGold Ashanti vs. Smurfit Westrock Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but AU is classified in Metals & Mining while SW is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Profile Item	AU	SW
Name	AngloGold Ashanti plc	Smurfit WestRock Plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	47.04 billion USD	23.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 5, 1998	June 17, 2008
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
Total Return (1Y)	47.97%	29.05%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	87.34%	14.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	42.76%	-0.16%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.11%	42.69%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.75%	-53.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.54M	4.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AU and SW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.07	0.94

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 2.57% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AU.

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

Max: 52.88%
AU: 44.33%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

SW

Materials industry group

2.57%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
SW: 2.57%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.50%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

Max: 38.66%
AU: 32.64%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

SW

Materials industry group

1.50%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
SW: 1.50%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 45.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 6.38%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

Max: 66.70%
AU: 45.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

SW

Materials industry group

6.38%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
SW: 6.38%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
ROE (TTM)	44.33%	2.57%
ROA (TTM)	24.39%	2.50%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.64%	1.50%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.36%	6.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	54.84%	17.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 47.70% sit in the top peer quartile for revenue growth, so each is growing its top line faster than typical industry peers.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 62.20% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	70.78%	47.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	30.02%	32.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	122.32%	62.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.95%	-30.01%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.48 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AU: 2.55
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

SW

Materials industry group

1.48

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
SW: 1.48
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.78 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
AU: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

SW

Materials industry group

0.78

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
SW: 0.78
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.55	1.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.16	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.17	2.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 4.02% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

AU: 4.88%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SW

Materials industry group

4.02%

Max: 4.52%
SW: 4.02%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 198.63%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile AngloGold Ashanti (AU) reports 58.78%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

Max: 83.62%
AU: 58.78%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SW

Materials industry group

198.63%

SW: 198.63%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.88%	4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.78%	198.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 12.09 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 48.99 sits in the richer quartile — SW needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
AU: 12.09
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

SW

Materials industry group

48.99

Max: 59.00
SW: 48.99
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.73 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
AU: 3.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

SW

Materials industry group

0.73

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
SW: 0.73
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.28 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 5.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AU is pricier on assets.

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

Max: 6.59
AU: 5.01
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

SW

Materials industry group

1.28

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
SW: 1.28
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	AU	SW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.09	48.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.91	0.73
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.01	1.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.61%	4.26%