Chief Executive Tony Smurfit attributed the cooling performance to unprecedented inflationary pressures, particularly within the Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia markets. While the company has implemented aggressive price hikes across most paper grades, management conceded that the full financial benefit of these adjustments will not materialize until 2027.

Investors reacted sharply to the revised outlook, which places expected adjusted EBITDA at $4.7 billion—falling short of the $4.92 billion anticipated by FactSet analysts. Third-quarter results underscored the strain, with net income slipping to $222 million, or 42 cents per share, down from $246 million in the same period last year, even as total sales saw a modest 2.3% increase to $8.16 billion.