KBC Group NV Has $3.43 Million Position in Sonoco Products Company $SON

Key Points

• KBC Group NV significantly increased its stake in Sonoco Products, boosting holdings by 2,238% in the first quarter to 63,453 shares worth about $3.43 million.
• Sonoco’s recent earnings topped expectations, with quarterly EPS of $1.51 versus the $1.47 consensus and revenue of $1.89 billion, while the company also raised FY 2026 guidance to $5.80-$6.20 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.54 per share, payable September 10, implying a 3.7% annualized yield based on the article’s figures.

KBC Group NV boosted its position in Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON - Free Report) by 2,238.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,453 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 60,739 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.06% of Sonoco Products worth $3,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 202.0% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 31,053 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,355,000 after buying an additional 20,771 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,563,390 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $68,226,000 after acquiring an additional 764,590 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 57.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 303,784 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,257,000 after acquiring an additional 111,295 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC bought a new position in Sonoco Products during the fourth quarter worth about $7,774,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Sonoco Products by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 326,547 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,251,000 after acquiring an additional 51,273 shares during the period. 77.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Sonoco Products from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Sonoco Products from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Sonoco Products from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings cut Sonoco Products from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Sonoco Products in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $63.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider James A. Harrell III bought 6,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $50.37 per share, with a total value of $340,148.61. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 10,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at $507,225.90. The trade was a 203.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

Sonoco Products Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of SON stock opened at $58.27 on Friday. Sonoco Products Company has a fifty-two week low of $38.65 and a fifty-two week high of $58.62. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $52.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.37.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.04. Sonoco Products had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 8.41%.The company had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. Sonoco Products's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Sonoco Products Company will post 5.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sonoco Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Sonoco Products's payout ratio is presently 34.34%.

Sonoco Products Profile

Sonoco Products Company NYSE: SON is a global provider of diversified packaging solutions, serving a wide range of consumer, industrial and retail markets. The company offers a broad portfolio that includes rigid paper and plastic containers, flexible packaging, industrial core and tube products, thermoformed plastics, retail point-of-purchase displays, and packaging supply chain services. Through its solutions, Sonoco helps customers in food and beverage, personal care, chemicals, healthcare, home and garden, and electronics industries address their packaging needs, improve product shelf appeal, and optimize logistics efficiency.

With operations in more than 30 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, Sonoco leverages a global network of manufacturing facilities, recycling centers and distribution channels to meet the demands of multinational and regional customers.

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