Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.26 EPS

Posted by George Bondi on Jul 28th, 2026

Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW – Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported ($1.75) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.49) by ($0.26), Zacks reports. Clearwater Paper had a negative net margin of 1.63% and a negative return on equity of 3.94%.

Here are the key takeaways from Clearwater Paper’s conference call:

Second-quarter profitability remained weak: Clearwater Paper reported a $21 million net loss and negative $8 million of adjusted EBITDA, as an 8% shipment increase was more than offset by a 9% decline in market pricing and higher outage, transportation, and chemical costs.
SBS industry conditions are improving. The company cited 6% year-to-date industry shipment growth, an 11% decline in imports, reduced industry production, and operating rates expected to exceed 90% by year-end.
Two planned $60-per-ton price increases are expected to begin benefiting results in the second half of 2026; the first increase and related index changes are expected to provide a $50 million-$60 million annualized EBITDA benefit, with a larger impact expected in 2027.
The Iran conflict is expected to raise chemical and transportation costs by an additional $3 million-$5 million in the third quarter and negatively affect full-year results by approximately $20 million-$25 million.
Cost reductions and balance-sheet actions continue: the Cypress Bend restructuring is expected to save $8 million-$12 million annually, net debt fell $59 million in the quarter, and management expects positive free cash flow for 2026 while pursuing refinancing ahead of facility maturities.

Clearwater Paper Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLW traded up $0.34 on Tuesday, hitting $17.56. 202,904 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 211,082. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.15 million, a P/E ratio of -11.40 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Clearwater Paper has a 1-year low of $11.73 and a 1-year high of $30.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $15.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.74.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clearwater Paper

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLW. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Clearwater Paper by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,629 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Clearwater Paper in the first quarter valued at about $204,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clearwater Paper by 3.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 115,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,926,000 after purchasing an additional 3,368 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Clearwater Paper by 93.3% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 45,171 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 21,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Clearwater Paper in the second quarter worth about $304,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Clearwater Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 28th. TD Cowen cut Clearwater Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $17.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD cut Clearwater Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Clearwater Paper to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, TD Securities lowered Clearwater Paper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.17.

Get Our Latest Research Report on CLW

About Clearwater Paper

(Get Free Report)

Clearwater Paper Corporation is an independent manufacturer of premium tissue and pulp and paperboard products for private-label and commercial customers in North America. The company operates through two core segments: Consumer Products, which produces bathroom tissue, paper towels and other away-from-home tissue products under private-label contracts; and Pulp & Paperboard, which supplies bleached paperboard used in folding cartons, foodservice packaging and specialty paper applications.

The Consumer Products segment services retail grocers, warehouse clubs, online merchants and janitorial distributors, leveraging multiple converting facilities to produce roll and folded tissue items for both household and institutional use.