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what it is
Sylvamo makes office and printing paper, plus pulp, from big low-cost mills across North America, Europe, and Latin America.
how it gets paid
Last year Sylvamo made $3.4B in revenue. North America paper was the main engine at $1.50B, or 44% of sales.
why growth slowed
Revenue fell 11.2% last year. Quarterly sales were $890 million, down from $970 million a year earlier.
what just happened
Fourth quarter EPS came in at $0.83 versus a $1.02 estimate, as weaker Europe demand and lower pulp contribution dragged results.
At a glance
B+ balance sheet — decent shape, but not bulletproof
14.3x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
4.8% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
11.0% return on capital — fair for a cyclical paper mill
xvary composite: 47/100 — below average
What they do
Sylvamo makes office and printing paper, plus pulp, from big low-cost mills across North America, Europe, and Latin America.
Paper sounds boring until you need scale. Sylvamo runs low-cost, large-scale mills and gets roughly half or more of revenue from outside North America (Europe, Latin America, pulp exports), which spreads demand risk across regions. Return on capital (how much profit each invested dollar earns → business efficiency → so what: the mills still throw off cash) is 11.0%.
How they make money
$3.4B
annual revenue · their business grew -11.2% last year
North America paper
$1.50B
Europe paper
$0.82B
Latin America paper
$0.68B
Market pulp
$0.30B
Other paper products
$0.10B
The products that matter
manufactures commodity printing paper
Uncoated Freesheet Paper
$3.4B · uncoated freesheet-led mix
uncoated freesheet is the face of the business, but revenue is split across North America, Europe, Latin America, and pulp—the map above is the honest breakdown.
maps to bridge
Key numbers
14.3x
trailing p/e
P/E (price-to-earnings → how expensive the stock is versus profit → so what: you are not paying a glamour multiple for a cyclical paper business) is low enough that bad news is already invited in.
4.8%
dividend yield
Yield (cash paid to shareholders each year → direct income → so what: you get paid while waiting for paper demand to stop looking miserable) is high for a stock at $46.24.
17.0%
operating margin
Operating margin (profit after running the business → core earning power → so what: this is still a profitable manufacturer even in a soft market) is stronger than the headline revenue drop suggests.
$763M
long-term debt
Debt (money owed → fixed obligation → so what: downturns hurt more when interest and repayments do not care about paper demand) is real but not fatal against a B+ balance sheet grade.
Financial health
B+
strength
- balance sheet grade B+ — solid but not elite
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 30 / 100
- long-term debt $763M (30% of capital)
- net profit margin 6.8% — keeps 7 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 16% — $0.16 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B+ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
Return history isn't available for SLVM right now.
source: institutional data · return history unavailable
What just happened
missed estimates
Fourth quarter EPS came in at $0.83 versus a $1.02 estimate, as weaker Europe demand and lower pulp contribution dragged results.
Quarterly sales were $890 million, down from $970 million a year earlier. Results also included an $11 million goodwill impairment tied to the France reporting unit.
$890M
revenue (Q4)
$0.83
eps (Q4)
18.6%
eps miss
the number that mattered
The key number was the $0.83 EPS print, because it landed 18.6% below the $1.02 estimate and confirmed that soft demand is hitting profit faster than volume.
-
sylvamo corp. delivered soft fourth-quarter results.
-
sales were $890 million, down from $970 million a year earlier, reflecting weak demand in europe and lower pulp contributions.
-
shipments were generally stable, but profitability varied by region.north america generated $71 million of operating income and latin america earned $37 million, while europe posted a $29 million operating loss. net income totaled $33 million and share earnings were $0.83, compared with $1.94 in the prior-year period.
-
results included an $11 million goodwill impairment related to the france reporting unit.
-
management continued to emphasize cost control in a challenging pricing environment.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is another leg down in uncoated freesheet paper demand and pricing.
high
paper pricing and demand risk
100% of sylvamo's $3.4B revenue comes from paper. revenue already fell 11.2% last year, so another demand or pricing leg down would hit the whole business, not one segment.
full-company exposure
high
europe is already loss-making
europe posted a $29M operating loss in the latest quarter while north america made $71M and latin america made $37M. if europe stays weak, group profitability stays under pressure.
regional profit drag
med
thin margins leave little room for mistakes
a 6.7% net margin on $3.4B revenue sounds fine until you remember it means the company keeps only about $228M after everything. margin fell to 3.9% in the latest quarter.
earnings sensitivity is high
med
capital allocation gets tighter if the cycle worsens
with $763M of long-term debt and a 4.8% dividend yield, sylvamo has real cash commitments. if earnings weaken again, the room to fund debt service, dividends, and reinvestment narrows.
balance sheet flexibility matters more
all $3.4B of revenue depends on one paper category, revenue already fell 11.2%, and europe just posted a $29M operating loss. that's a concentrated risk profile.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
risk
europe needs to stop bleeding
the latest quarter showed a $29M operating loss in europe. if that number stays negative, the turnaround case stays weak.
calendar
next earnings report
you want to hear whether management is seeing any improvement in pricing, demand, or regional mix. this stock needs evidence, not optimism.
metric
margin recovery
net margin was 6.7% for the year and just 3.9% in the latest quarter. watch which way that goes next. that's the earnings story.
trend
revenue stabilization
annual revenue fell 11.2%, and the street sees about $3B next. if that keeps drifting lower, the low multiple is not the bargain it looks like.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
below average
momentum score 4 — in human-speak, analysts think this one has a harder path than the average stock over the next 12 months.
risk profile
average
stability score 3 — you're not buying a bunker stock, but this also isn't an all-out rollercoaster.
chart momentum
average
technical score 3 — the chart is not giving you a strong signal either way. the fundamentals still have to do the convincing.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
122 buyers vs. 107 sellers in 4q2025. total institutional holdings: 37.7M shares.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$38
$95
$46
current price
$67
target midpoint · +45% from current · 3-5yr high: $80 (+75% · 18% ann'l return)
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