DOW vs. SW: Dow vs. Smurfit Westrock Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Dow (DOW) 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

Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but DOW is classified in Chemicals while SW is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Profile Item	DOW	SW
Name	Dow Inc.	Smurfit WestRock Plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	22.73 billion USD	23.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 20, 2019	June 17, 2008
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW

GSPC

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
Total Return (1Y)	46.93%	29.05%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.46%	14.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.94%	-0.16%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW

GSPC

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.81%	42.69%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	0.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.37%	-53.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.52M	4.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOW 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 Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.02	0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	0.94

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Smurfit Westrock (SW) reports 2.57%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
DOW: -3.24%
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%

Dow (DOW) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Smurfit Westrock (SW) reports 1.50%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
DOW: -2.11%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 6.38% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
DOW: 6.78%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
ROE (TTM)	-3.24%	2.57%
ROA (TTM)	1.87%	2.50%
Net Margin (TTM)	-2.11%	1.50%
Operating Margin (TTM)	6.78%	6.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.01%	17.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 47.70% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Dow (DOW) at -6.97% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Dow (DOW) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 62.20% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Dow (DOW) at -335.67% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

Dow (DOW) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.97%	47.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.11%	32.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-335.67%	62.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-30.01%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.76 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.48 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
DOW: 1.76
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.78 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Dow (DOW) at 1.08 uses more debt funding than most peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max: 1.98
DOW: 1.08
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
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

Dow (DOW) 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 Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	1.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.08	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.21	2.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 4.38% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 4.02% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max: 4.52%
DOW: 4.38%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 700.00% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 198.63% report payout ratio above 100%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings on both sides.

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW: 700.00%
Max: 83.62%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.38%	4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	700.00%	198.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Smurfit Westrock (SW) trades at 48.99 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

DOW

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
DOW: --

SW

Materials industry group

48.99

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

Dow (DOW) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; SW is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 0.53 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.73 prices around its industry’s middle — DOW costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
DOW: 0.53
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Dow (DOW) at 1.41 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.28 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
DOW: 1.41
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	DOW	SW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	48.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.53	0.73
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	1.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.95%	4.26%