Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Sonoco a consensus "Hold" (7 holds, 5 buys) with an average 12‑month price target of $60.11.
• Sonoco's Q1 results missed expectations (EPS $1.20 vs. $1.57 est., revenue $1.68B vs. $1.88B) but the company set FY2026 guidance of $5.80–$6.20 EPS, roughly matching the street's ~$5.81 forecast.
• Management boosted the quarterly dividend to $0.54 (4.2% yield) and CFO Paul Joachimczyk bought 8,058 shares (~$400K), signaling insider confidence.

Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $60.1111.

A number of research firms have issued reports on SON. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Sonoco Products in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sonoco Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Sonoco Products in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Sonoco Products from $70.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $65.00 target price (down from $68.00) on shares of Sonoco Products in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th.

Sonoco Products Stock Performance

Shares of SON opened at $51.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.07, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.48 and a 200 day moving average of $48.01. Sonoco Products has a 12 month low of $38.65 and a 12 month high of $58.44.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for 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 business's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.38 earnings per share. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sonoco Products will post 5.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonoco Products Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $0.54 dividend. This is an increase from Sonoco Products's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Sonoco Products's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Paul Joachimczyk bought 8,058 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.64 per share, with a total value of $399,999.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 28,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,417,619.12. This represents a 39.31% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ernest D. Haynes III sold 1,581 shares of the firm'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 of the company's stock, valued at $528,769.03. This represents a 14.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonoco Products

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Savant Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 415.0% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 37,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,632,000 after acquiring an additional 30,520 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 1,237.0% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 24,079 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,038,000 after acquiring an additional 22,278 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 202.0% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 31,053 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 20,771 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 46.2% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 81,728 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,522,000 after acquiring an additional 25,836 shares during the period. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Sonoco Products in the third quarter worth $2,116,000. 77.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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