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Sonoco Products (SON) AI Stock Analysis

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SON

Sonoco Products

(NYSE:SON)

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Rating:53Neutral
Price Target:$51.00▲(2.82% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:10/23/26

The score is held back primarily by the sharp TTM profitability reversal (net loss/negative EBIT) and still-elevated leverage, partially offset by solid and improving free cash flow. Earnings call messaging is mixed but somewhat supportive due to maintained full-year guidance, debt actions, and productivity savings momentum, while technicals and valuation are modestly supportive rather than clearly bullish.

Positive Factors
Strong cash generationPositive and improving free cash flow gives Sonoco internally generated funds to reduce debt, reinvest in plants and products, and support dividends. This cash-generation capability provides resilience across packaging cycles, although leverage still limits how much flexibility it creates.
Negative Factors
Profitability reversalThe shift from solid prior-year profitability to a net loss and negative EBIT is a significant deterioration in earnings quality. Because revenue fell only modestly, the reversal points to substantial operating pressure and leaves less internal funding for debt reduction or growth.

Sonoco Products Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Net Sales by SegmentReveals the revenue generated by each business segment, indicating which parts of the company are growing or declining and providing insight into market demand and competitive position.

-$500.00M$0.00$500.00M$1.00B$1.50B$2.00BApr 21Jul 21Oct 21Dec 21Apr 22Jul 22Oct 22Dec 22Apr 23Jul 23Oct 23Dec 23Mar 24Jun 24Sep 24Dec 24Mar 25Jun 25Sep 25Dec 25Mar 26Jun 26
Chart Insights

Consumer Packaging has emerged as Sonoco’s growth engine, surging in 2025 into billion‑dollar quarters while Industrial Paper Packaging stays largely stable; the timing—large negative eliminations and a precipitous collapse of “Other” revenue—points to acquisition-driven reclassification or divestiture rather than organic demand. That concentrates top‑line exposure in Consumer Packaging: potential scale upside but higher integration and margin‑mix risk and diminished diversification, so watch deal disclosures and segment margins closely.

Data provided by:The Fly

Sonoco Products (SON) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-10%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%SON+26.13%SPY+14.28%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$4.92B
Dividend Yield
4.33%
Average Volume (3M)
1.19M
Price to Earnings (P/E)
-23.5
Beta (1Y)
0.65
Revenue Growth
3.56%
EPS Growth
-11673.60%
Country
US
Employees
22,000
Sector
Consumer Cyclical
Sector Strength
61
Industry
Packaging & Containers

Sonoco Products Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Sonoco Products Company (SON), through its numerous subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide producer and vendor of both industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Its extensive reach covers markets across North and South America, Europe, Australia, a...

How the Company Makes Money

Sonoco makes money primarily by selling packaging products and related services to brand owners and industrial customers under customer contracts and purchase orders. Its core revenue streams come from: (1) manufacturing and selling consumer packagin...

Sonoco Products Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Oct 21, 2026(Q3-2026)|% Change Since:-1.61%|Next Earnings Date:Feb 11, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentNeutral

The call presented a mixed picture. Sonoco delivered Industrial sales growth, strong cash flow, debt reduction, productivity savings and continued progress on pricing and restructuring initiatives. However, these positives were offset by Consumer volume and EBITDA declines, significant weather-driven food can weakness, elevated input and freight costs, a large noncash goodwill impairment and ongoing uncertainty around the fourth quarter and 2027 outlook. Management remained confident in its strategy, but the balance of operating challenges and mitigation efforts supports a neutral overall assessment.

Positive Updates

Industrial Segment Sales Growth
Industrial sales increased 5% year-over-year to $646 million, supported by pricing realization, healthy URB demand and strong North American execution.

Negative Updates

Third-Quarter Sales and Earnings Declines
Net sales were $2 billion, down 4% year-over-year, although sales were essentially flat excluding the ThermoSafe divestiture. Adjusted EBITDA was $352 million with a 17.2% margin, down 9% year-over-year or 4% excluding ThermoSafe. Adjusted EPS was $1.67, down 13% year-over-year or 7% excluding ThermoSafe.

Company Guidance

For the full year, Sonoco now expects net sales of $7.2 billion to $7.4 billion, adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 billion to $1.25 billion, adjusted EPS of $5.30 to $5.50 and operating cash flow of $600 million to $650 million; for the fourth quarter, Consumer is forecast to be relatively flat year-over-year, Industrial up slightly, inflation fairly well leveled out with no expectation that things get worse, and OCC flat. For 2027, the company expects relatively flat volumes year-over-year, $15 million to $20 million of savings from 2 site closures in Europe, positive price/cost recovery on the Industrial side into the first half of '27, and PPP savings incrementally higher than '26, kind of you can call it $10 million to $15 million to $20 million higher; as we get into '28, it will be higher than '27, with a steady ramp of $50 million, $60 million, $70 million, targeting in the $180 million range right in the middle of the $150 million to $200 million. Reels are expected to deliver similar type growth rates that we've seen over the last couple of years, while aerosol growth is not expected to maintain itself at a 5% to 7% but should continue to flow through it.

Sonoco Products Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Profitability deteriorated sharply in the TTM period (swing to a net loss and negative EBIT), which is a major drag despite only modest revenue decline. The balance sheet is still meaningfully levered (debt-to-equity ~1.62) though improved versus 2024. Offsetting this, operating cash flow (~$630M) and free cash flow (~$412M) are solid and improving, but debt coverage remains modest.

Income Statement

38Negative

Balance Sheet

52Neutral

Cash Flow

63Positive
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue7.37B7.52B5.31B5.44B5.86B5.59B
Gross Profit1.49B1.57B1.14B1.20B1.23B1.06B
EBITDA724.61M1.53B610.97M965.41M869.63M148.19M
Net Income-208.23M396.38M163.95M474.96M466.44M-85.48M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets10.13B11.16B12.51B7.19B7.05B5.07B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments183.10M378.40M431.01M138.90M227.44M170.98M
Total Debt4.56B4.59B7.30B3.23B3.53B1.84B
Total Liabilities7.32B7.53B10.22B4.76B4.98B3.22B
Stockholders Equity2.80B3.61B2.27B2.42B2.07B1.84B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow400.01M345.76M440.61M519.84M180.28M42.65M
Operating Cash Flow630.43M689.78M833.85M882.92M509.05M298.67M
Investing Cash Flow430.49M2.20B-4.11B-619.34M-1.74B-165.90M
Financing Cash Flow-1.10B-2.99B3.67B-351.99M1.29B-513.54M

Sonoco Products Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentNegative
Last Price49.60

Price Trends

50DMA49.08Positive
100DMA52.33Negative
200DMA51.35Negative

Market Momentum

MACD0.14Negative
RSI50.51Neutral
STOCH33.80Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SON, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 49.60 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 49.55, above the 50-day MA of 49.08, and below the 200-day MA of 51.35, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 0.14 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 50.51 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 33.80 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for SON.

Sonoco Products Risk Analysis

Sonoco Products disclosed 1 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Sonoco Products reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Legal & Regulatory - Litigation, compliance, new legislation, and taxation risks

Latest Risks Added

0 New Risks

Sonoco Products Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)

Financial Indicators

SON against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
SLGNSLGN72Outperform$4.42B16.7311.09%2.00%4.48%-16.03%
AMCRAMCR69Neutral$20.89B18.969.32%5.86%37.30%36.83%
GEFGEF68Neutral$4.00B16.088.80%3.25%-2.47%409.77%
Sector *61Neutral$18.38B12.79-2.54%3.03%1.52%-15.83%
SWSW54Neutral$23.20B49.472.61%4.06%1.11%-37.06%
SONSON53Neutral$4.92B-23.51-6.12%4.33%3.56%-11673.60%
GPKGPK50Neutral$3.30B44.282.27%3.97%0.35%-85.33%

* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-40%-20%0%20%40%SONGPKGEFSLGNSWAMCRDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
SON and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
SONSonoco Products Company49.609.6624.19%
GPKGraphic Packaging Holding11.07-4.41-28.50%
GEFGreif Class A72.5113.0621.96%
SLGNSilgan41.503.8010.08%
SWSmurfit Westrock PLC44.0310.3830.85%
AMCRAmcor44.393.959.76%

Sonoco Products Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing

Sonoco Products Expands Credit Facilities, Extends Debt Maturities

Positive
Sep 30, 2026

On September 25, 2026, Sonoco Products Company amended its existing credit agreement with a consortium of Farm Credit System institutions and CoBank, ACB, adding a $400 million tranche A term loan maturing in 2029 and a $400 million tranche B delayed...

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes

Sonoco Reorganizes Global Consumer Packaging Leadership Structure

Positive
Aug 5, 2026

On August 4, 2026, Sonoco announced that it is aligning its Global Consumer Packaging businesses under a single integrated leadership structure reporting to Ernest Haynes, who has been named President, Global Consumer Packaging. The reconfigured segm...

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Oct 23, 2026