RS vs. SW: Reliance vs. Smurfit Westrock Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Reliance (RS) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Profile Item	RS	SW
Name	Reliance, Inc.	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	Steel	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	21.24 billion USD	23.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	September 16, 1994	June 17, 2008
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

Reliance (RS) 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 Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
Total Return (1Y)	54.53%	29.05%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.36%	14.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	22.28%	-0.16%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.64%	42.69%
Beta (5Y)	0.97	0.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.32%	-53.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)	311.43K	4.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RS 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 Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.96	0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.92	0.94

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Reliance (RS) at 14.75% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 2.57% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

RS

Materials industry group

14.75%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
RS: 14.75%
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%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Reliance (RS) at 6.38% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.50% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

RS

Materials industry group

6.38%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
RS: 6.38%
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%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Reliance (RS) at 10.63% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 6.38% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

RS

Materials industry group

10.63%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
RS: 10.63%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
ROE (TTM)	14.75%	2.57%
ROA (TTM)	8.83%	2.50%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.38%	1.50%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.63%	6.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	28.17%	17.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 47.70% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Reliance (RS) at 3.32% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for SW.

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

EPS Growth

Both Reliance (RS) at -10.15% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 62.20% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	3.32%	47.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-5.66%	32.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-10.15%	62.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-22.40%	-30.01%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.48 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Reliance (RS) at 4.12 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

RS

Materials industry group

4.12

Max: 5.96
RS: 4.12
Q3: 3.30
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Reliance (RS) at 0.25 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.78 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RS

Materials industry group

0.25

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
RS: 0.25
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

Reliance (RS) 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 Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	4.12	1.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.25	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.93	2.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 4.02% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Reliance (RS) at 1.20% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SW the richer one.

RS

Materials industry group

1.20%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
RS: 1.20%
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%

Reliance (RS) 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 Reliance (RS) reports 23.08%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RS

Materials industry group

23.08%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
RS: 23.08%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.20%	4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	23.08%	198.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Reliance (RS) at 19.44 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.

RS

Materials industry group

19.44

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
RS: 19.44
Median: 18.82
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

Reliance (RS) 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 Reliance (RS) at 1.22 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.73 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

RS

Materials industry group

1.22

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
RS: 1.22
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

Reliance (RS) 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 Reliance (RS) at 2.75 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.28 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

RS

Materials industry group

2.75

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
RS: 2.75
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Reliance (RS) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	RS	SW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	19.44	48.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.22	0.73
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.75	1.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.19%	4.26%