Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) Shares Down 6.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) traded down 6.4% on Thursday after Bank of America downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a neutral rating. Bank of America now has a $60.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $69.00. Sonoco Products traded as low as $51.30 and last traded at $51.22. 180,317 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 1,145,305 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.74.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Sonoco Products from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Sonoco Products from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Sonoco Products from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonoco Products

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Sonoco Products by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Sonoco Products by 93.1% during the first quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 1,826.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. 77.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sonoco Products Stock Down 5.9%

The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.67 and a 200 day moving average of $53.76. The company has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a PE ratio of 8.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. Sonoco Products had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 8.41%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Sonoco Products Company will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonoco Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Sonoco Products’s payout ratio is currently 34.34%.

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.