Sonoco Products Company $SON Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Major institutional buying: Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake by 222.2% to 130,367 shares (~$5.69M) and overall institutional investors own about 77.69% of Sonoco's stock, with several other large funds also materially raising positions.
• Earnings miss but guidance given: Sonoco reported Q1 EPS of $1.20 vs. $1.57 expected and revenue of $1.68B vs. $1.88B expected, while issuing FY2026 guidance of $5.80–$6.20 EPS (analyst average ~5.83).
• Dividend boost and mixed insider/analyst signals: Quarterly dividend was raised to $0.54 (4.3% yield) and CFO Paul Joachimczyk purchased ~8,058 shares (~$400K), even as analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with a $60.11 target.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON - Free Report) by 222.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,367 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 89,900 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.13% of Sonoco Products worth $5,689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SON. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sonoco Products by 357.8% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,117,022 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $90,693,000 after buying an additional 1,654,576 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Sonoco Products by 10,238.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 728,138 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,776,000 after purchasing an additional 721,095 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in Sonoco Products by 105.6% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 798,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $34,420,000 after purchasing an additional 410,200 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Sonoco Products in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,569,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Sonoco Products by 87.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 545,179 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $25,754,000 after purchasing an additional 255,055 shares during the last quarter. 77.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Sonoco Products from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised Sonoco Products from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Sonoco Products from $60.00 to $56.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research raised Sonoco Products from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Sonoco Products in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $60.11.

Sonoco Products Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:SON opened at $49.90 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $54.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.62. The stock has a market cap of $4.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.89, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.50. Sonoco Products Company has a 52-week low of $38.65 and a 52-week high of $58.44.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.37). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. Sonoco Products had a net margin of 13.57% and a return on equity of 16.50%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Sonoco Products Company will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonoco Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This is an increase from Sonoco Products's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Sonoco Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sonoco Products

In other Sonoco Products news, insider Ernest D. Haynes III sold 1,581 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.39, for a total value of $89,152.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,377 shares in the company, valued at $528,769.03. This represents a 14.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Paul Joachimczyk bought 8,058 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.64 per share, with a total value of $399,999.12. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 28,558 shares in the company, valued at $1,417,619.12. This represents a 39.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Sonoco Products

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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