Kaiser Aluminum vs Sylvamo
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Kaiser Aluminum and Sylvamo side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Kaiser Aluminum is the larger business, with $3.4B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $3.4B for Sylvamo.
- Kaiser Aluminum grew revenue faster (11.5%, against −11.2%).
- Sylvamo kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (7.5% operating margin, against 5.6%).
- Sylvamo turned more of its sales into free cash flow (1.3% FCF margin, against −0.8%).
- Sylvamo earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (10.9%, against 7.7%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Sylvamo’s earnings: a P/E of 17.4x against 8.2x for Kaiser Aluminum.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Kaiser Aluminum
KALU
3/10
Revenue growth5-year growthPiotroski F-score
Sylvamo
SLVM
7/10
Operating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | KALU FY25 | SLVM FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $1.8B | $1.3B |
| Revenue | $3.4B | $3.4B |
| Free cash flow | −$25.5M | $44.0M |
| Net income | $113M | $132M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 11.5% | −11.2% |
| 5-year growth | 23.5% | 7.0% |
| Share count change | 1.9% | −3.1% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 13.1% | — |
| Operating margin | 5.6% | 7.5% |
| Net margin | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| FCF margin | −0.8% | 1.3% |
| Return on capital | 7.7% | 10.9% |
| Return on equity | 14.3% | 14.6% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.1B | $651M |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.4x | 1.5x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $51.3M | $155M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 8.2x | 17.4x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 5 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.