Wall Street Zen Downgrades Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Sonoco Products (SON) from a Buy to a Hold; the stock's consensus rating is also Hold (five Buys, seven Holds) with a consensus target of $60.11.
• Sonoco missed Q1 expectations, reporting $1.20 EPS vs. $1.57 expected and $1.68B revenue vs. $1.88B expected (revenue down 1.9% YoY), and issued FY2026 guidance of $5.80–$6.20 EPS (analyst consensus 5.81).
• CFO Paul Joachimczyk bought 8,058 shares (~$400k) at $49.64, boosting his stake by ~39.3%; insider ownership is 0.98% while institutional investors own about 77.7% of the stock.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on SON. Argus raised Sonoco Products to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Sonoco Products from $60.00 to $56.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Sonoco Products in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $63.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Sonoco Products in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Sonoco Products from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sonoco Products has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $60.11.

Sonoco Products Price Performance

Sonoco Products stock opened at $50.10 on Friday. Sonoco Products has a one year low of $38.65 and a one year high of $58.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business has a fifty day moving average of $53.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.65. The company has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.40.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Sonoco Products had a net margin of 13.57% and a return on equity of 16.50%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. Sonoco Products's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Sonoco Products will post 5.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sonoco Products

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonoco Products

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in Sonoco Products by 415.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Sonoco Products during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,489,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in Sonoco Products by 1,237.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Sonoco Products during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $560,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Sonoco Products by 46.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 77.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sonoco Products Company 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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