Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 6,478,790 shares, an increase of 24.1% from the January 15th total of 5,218,831 shares. Currently, 6.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 985,272 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 985,272 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days. Currently, 6.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Sonoco Products from $61.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Bank of America upgraded Sonoco Products from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $56.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Sonoco Products from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $47.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Sonoco Products in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sonoco Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonoco Products

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Sonoco Products by 172.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.69% of the company’s stock.

Sonoco Products Stock Performance

Shares of Sonoco Products stock traded up $5.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $56.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,954,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 946,170. Sonoco Products has a one year low of $38.65 and a one year high of $57.83. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.54.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 16th. The industrial products company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.04. Sonoco Products had a net margin of 8.82% and a return on equity of 20.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.17 earnings per share. Sonoco Products’s quarterly revenue was up 29.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Sonoco Products will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sonoco Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Sonoco Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.65%.

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.