Sonoco Products Company $SON Position Lowered by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors trimmed its position in Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) by 55.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,789 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Sonoco Products were worth $349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Sonoco Products by 477.8% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,901,950 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $257,561,000 after buying an additional 4,880,438 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sonoco Products by 357.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,117,022 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $90,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,654,576 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sonoco Products in the fourth quarter worth $54,611,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in Sonoco Products by 2,813.2% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 876,895 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,268,000 after purchasing an additional 846,794 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in Sonoco Products by 95.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 764,590 shares during the last quarter. 77.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on SON shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Sonoco Products from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Sonoco Products in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sonoco Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Sonoco Products from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sonoco Products presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.11.

Insider Transactions at Sonoco Products

In other Sonoco Products news, insider James A. Harrell III acquired 6,753 shares of Sonoco Products stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $50.37 per share, for a total transaction of $340,148.61. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $507,225.90. This trade represents a 203.59% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Paul Joachimczyk acquired 8,058 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.64 per share, for a total transaction of $399,999.12. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 28,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,417,619.12. The trade was a 39.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sonoco Products Stock Performance

SON opened at $54.27 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $50.35 and its 200-day moving average is $50.19. The stock has a market cap of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 5.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.39. Sonoco Products Company has a twelve month low of $38.65 and a twelve month high of $58.44.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.37). The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Sonoco Products had a net margin of 13.57% and a return on equity of 16.50%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Sonoco Products Company will post 5.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonoco Products Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. This is an increase from Sonoco Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Sonoco Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.18%.

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.