Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Rr Donnelley And Sons Co (RRD) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Rr Donnelley And Sons Co vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 4,964M vs 41,095M combined for tracked competitors (10.8% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+11.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs decelerating (-23.9%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Rr Donnelley And Sons Co generated 37.3% revenue growth year over year in Q4 2021, vs 15.7% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its -1.0% net margin compares with 18.8% for the peer group.
- Peer revenue share: Rr Donnelley And Sons Co accounted for 15.0% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 12.9% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.07M compares with $0.45M for the peer group (0.2x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
RRD Sales vs. its Competitors, Q4 2021
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co reported revenue growth of 37.27 % year on year in Q4 2021, above its competitors' combined revenue growth of 15.65 %.
With a net margin of -0.97 %, Rr Donnelley And Sons Co reported lower profitability than its competitors (18.82 %).
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co generated 14.97 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 12.92 % a year earlier.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co vs. its Competitors, Q4 2021
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Rr Donnelley And Sons Co and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Publishing & Information industry grew revenue 3.2% year over year, combined, vs 37.3% for Rr Donnelley And Sons Co. Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's share of combined industry revenue moved from 6.87% to 9.13%, a gain of 2.27 percentage points.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Competitors combined (7) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 37.50 % (3 of 8) | 25.00 % (2 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
RRD Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
RRD Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
RRD Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The New York Times Company | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Avery Dennison Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Acco Brands Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Adobe Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
The print and related services industry, in general, continues to have excess capacity and remains highly competitive. Despite consolidation in recent years, the industry remains highly fragmented. Across the Company’s range of products and services, competition is based primarily on price in addition to quality and the ability to service the special needs of customers. Management expects that prices for the Company’s products and services will continue to be a focal point for customers in coming years. Therefore, the Company believes it needs to continue to lower its cost structure and differentiate its product and service offerings.
Technological changes, including the electronic distribution of documents and data, online distribution and hosting of media content, and advances in digital printing, print-on-demand and Internet technologies, continue to impact the market for the Company’s products and services. The Company seeks to utilize the distinctive capabilities of its products and services to improve its customers’ communications, whether in paper or electronic form. The Company’s goal remains to help its customers succeed by delivering effective and targeted communications in the right format to the right audiences at the right time. Management believes that with the Company’s competitive strengths, including its broad range of complementary print-related services, strong logistics capabilities, technology leadership, depth of management experience, customer relationships and economies of scale, the Company has developed and can further develop valuable, differentiated solutions for its customers. The Company seeks to draw on its unified platform and strong customer relationships in order to serve a larger share of its customers’ print and related services needs.
The impact of digital technologies has been felt in many print products. Electronic
communication and transaction technology has eliminated or reduced the role
of many traditional printed products and has continued to drive electronic substitution
in directory and statement printing, in part driven by environmental concerns
and cost pressures at key customers. In addition, e-book substitution is having
a continuing impact on consumer print book volume, though adoption rates are
stabilizing, and a limited impact on educational and specialty books. Digital
technologies have also impacted printed magazines, as advertiser spending has
moved from print to electronic media. The future impact of technology on the
Company’s business is difficult to predict and could result in additional
expenditures to restructure impacted operations or develop new technologies.
In addition, the Company has made targeted acquisitions and investments in the
Company’s existing business to offer customers innovative services and
solutions that further secure the Company’s position as a technology leader
in the industry.
The acquisition of Consolidated Graphics and proposed acquisition of Esselte’s
North American operations support the Company’s strategic objective of
generating profitable growth and improved cash flow and liquidity through targeted
acquisitions. These acquisitions are expected to enhance the Company’s
existing capabilities and ability to serve its collective customers as well
as provide cost savings through the combination of best practices, complementary
products and manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
The Company has implemented a number of strategic initiatives to reduce its overall cost structure and improve efficiency, including the restructuring, reorganization and integration of operations and streamlining of administrative and support activities. Future cost reduction initiatives could include the reorganization of operations and the consolidation of facilities. Implementing such initiatives might result in future restructuring or impairment charges, which may be substantial. Management also reviews the Company’s operations and management structure on a regular basis to balance appropriate risks and opportunities to maximize efficiencies and to support the Company’s long-term strategic goals.
Publicly Traded Peers of Rr Donnelley and Sons Co
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | 807.58 | 4,963.70 |
| Adobe Inc | 91,364.46 | 25,970.00 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 13,132.40 | 9,248.10 |
| The New York Times Company | 10,462.41 | 2,977.83 |
| Veritiv Corporation | 2,340.76 | 6,091.90 |
| Acco Brands Corporation | 412.99 | 1,571.30 |
| SUBTOTAL | 118,667.86 | 52,150.13 |
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Sources: Rr Donnelley and Sons Co's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Rr Donnelley and Sons Co versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Ennis Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | Business Services Segment 79.97 % |
| Adobe Inc | Reportable 100.00 % |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Materials Group 69.81 % |
| The New York Times Company | Reportable 100.00 % |
| Veritiv Corporation | Packaging 60.94 % |
| Acco Brands Corporation | ACCO Brands Americas 63.33 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | 808 | 72,996 | 65 |
| Adobe Inc | 91,364 | 828,125 | 232,270 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 13,132 | 264,231 | 20,140 |
| The New York Times Company | 10,462 | 496,304 | 65,471 |
| Veritiv Corporation | 2,341 | 1,522,975 | 159,425 |
| Acco Brands Corporation | 413 | 334,319 | 12,511 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 117,860 | 445,323 | 84,813 |
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Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | US 69.27 % |
| Adobe Inc | Americas 58.69 % |
| Exela Technologies Inc | US 84.35 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Publishing & Information industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (24 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 19.52 % | 50.84 % (avg) | -31.3 pp |
| Operating Margin | 3.29 % | industry median | -2.8 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 2.38 % | 4.29 % (avg) | -1.9 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 1.48 % | 2.81 % (avg) | -1.3 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Publishing & Information industry average (24 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 257.1x | 15.1x | +242.0x |
| EV / EBITDA | 17.1x | 12.9x | +4.2x |
| P/B | -3.5x | 2.5x | -5.9x |
| Return on Equity | -1.98 % | industry aggregate | -12.50 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 10.38 % | 9.05 % (avg) | 1.33 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 10.72 % | -2.99 % | -38.74 % | 0.64 % | -2.01 % | -7.71 % | -24.06 % | 4.14 % |
| Operating Margin | 4.45 % | 5.22 % | -4.36 % | 3.26 % | 3.07 % | 1.57 % | 2.27 % | 3.29 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 8.83 % | 10.09 % | -6.29 % | 9.88 % | 10.52 % | 5.00 % | 6.53 % | 10.38 % |
| P/E | 27.5x | 21.5x | - | - | - | - | 1.4x | 257.1x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Rr Donnelley And Sons Co is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 1.48 % vs industry average 2.81 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+11.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 12.5 points below the industry aggregate.
- Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below, the standard financial-distress signal.
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Tracked peer group's revenue run-rate is broadly decelerating (-23.9% annualized).
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | 0.20 | 1.37 | - |
| Adobe Inc | 0.46 | 0.85 | 0.55 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 0.11 | 1.17 | 1.65 |
| The New York Times Company | 0.37 | 1.56 | - |
| Veritiv Corporation | - | 2.09 | 0.23 |
| Acco Brands Corporation | - | 1.76 | 1.33 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | Q4 2021 | +37.3 % | - |
| Adobe Inc | Q3 2026 | +12.9 % | +3.1 % |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Q2 2026 | +10.9 % | +8.0 % |
| The New York Times Company | Q2 2026 | +11.2 % | +12.6 % |
| Veritiv Corporation | Q3 2021 | -19.0 % | -36.4 % |
| Acco Brands Corporation | Q2 2026 | +5.1 % | -51.7 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +9.4 % | -8.6 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | Q4 2021 | +44.9 % | -20.8 % |
| Adobe Inc | Q3 2026 | +18.8 % | +18.1 % |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | Q2 2026 | +9.6 % | +30.7 % |
| The New York Times Company | Q2 2026 | +8.6 % | -2.2 % |
| Veritiv Corporation | Q3 2021 | -20.9 % | -27.7 % |
| Acco Brands Corporation | Q2 2026 | +6.0 % | - |
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Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | 0.14% | 0.24% | - |
| Adobe Inc | 24.46% | 39.34% | 62.88% |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 7.86% | 12.50% | 31.07% |
| The New York Times Company | 13.40% | 18.80% | 19.47% |
| Veritiv Corporation | 31.36% | 46.67% | 75.15% |
| Acco Brands Corporation | 2.58% | 3.10% | 8.78% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Rr Donnelley And Sons Co's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Rr Donnelley and Sons Co | 271.00 | 0.16 |
| Adobe Inc | 12.96 | 3.52 |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 18.87 | 1.42 |
| The New York Times Company | 26.75 | 3.51 |
| Veritiv Corporation | 8.72 | 0.38 |
| Acco Brands Corporation | 6.95 | 0.26 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 13.20 | 2.28 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.