WRK Overview

Appointment Announcement: IES Holdings, Inc. has appointed Kelly C. Janzen to its Board of Directors effective May 12, 2025, with the Chairman expressing excitement about her extensive finance and accounting experience.

Professional Background: Ms. Janzen has over 30 years in financial leadership roles, including positions at Vestis Corporation, BlueLinx Corporation, and WestRock Company, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University.

Market Outlook for Containerboard and Lumber: RBC Capital Markets anticipates a cyclical recovery in containerboard and a tighter lumber market by 2025, favoring companies like International Paper and Smurfit WestRock for their pricing strategies, while expecting a 15% rise in lumber prices due to capacity reductions.

Challenges and Forecasts: High mortgage rates are expected to limit demand for wood products, with only a modest increase in housing starts projected; however, ongoing capacity curtailments may lead to higher pricing in the lumber market.

Validea's Guru Fundamental Report for WESTROCK CO (WRK):

• WRK rates highest using the Multi-Factor Investor model based on Pim van Vliet's strategy.
• The strategy seeks low volatility stocks with strong momentum and high net payout yields.
• WRK is a large-cap growth stock in the Containers & Packaging industry, with a 93% rating based on fundamentals and valuation.
• Scores above 80% indicate some interest, while scores above 90% indicate strong interest.
• The report provides a summary of whether the stock meets the strategy's tests.

About Pim van Vliet:

• Pim van Vliet is the head of Conservative Equities at Robeco Asset Management.
• His research led to the creation of a strategy focusing on low volatility stocks.
• Low volatility stocks have been shown to outperform high volatility ones with less risk.
• Van Vliet holds a PhD in Financial and Business Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Additional Research Links:

• Validea offers investment research services based on strategies of investment legends.
• Model portfolios are created following gurus like Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch, and Martin Zweig.
• The service includes stock analysis and top S&P 500, Russell 2000, and small-cap value stocks.
• It also covers high earnings yield, free cash flow yield, and low volatility stocks.