Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Grows Position in Sonoco Products Company $SON

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) by 222.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 130,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 89,900 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Sonoco Products were worth $5,689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SON. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 44.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 49,093 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,319,000 after purchasing an additional 15,079 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 80.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 206,493 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,755,000 after purchasing an additional 92,286 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 87.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 545,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,754,000 after purchasing an additional 255,055 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 315.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,587 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares during the period. 77.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sonoco Products Stock Performance

Shares of SON opened at $49.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.96. Sonoco Products Company has a 1 year low of $38.65 and a 1 year high of $58.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.93 billion, a PE ratio of 4.89, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.62.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) last issued 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). Sonoco Products had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 13.57%.The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Sonoco Products Company will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sonoco Products Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This is a boost from Sonoco Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Sonoco Products’s dividend payout ratio is 20.78%.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SON. UBS Group lowered their price target on Sonoco Products from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sonoco Products from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Sonoco Products in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. 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. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price (down from $68.00) on shares of Sonoco Products in a report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sonoco Products has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.11.

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.