KBC Group NV Has $3.43 Million Stock Position in Sonoco Products Company $SON

KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Sonoco Products Company (NYSE:SON) by 2,238.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 63,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 60,739 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Sonoco Products were worth $3,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its stake 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sonoco Products by 1,826.9% during 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. acquired a new position in shares of Sonoco Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 77.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SON shares. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Sonoco Products from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Sonoco Products from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sonoco Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Sonoco Products in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $63.00 price objective on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sonoco Products news, insider James A. Harrell III purchased 6,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $50.37 per share, with a total value of $340,148.61. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 10,070 shares in the company, valued at $507,225.90. This represents a 203.59% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Sonoco Products Price Performance

SON stock opened at $58.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.26, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.01. Sonoco Products Company has a 12-month low of $38.65 and a 12-month high of $58.62.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.04. Sonoco Products had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 8.41%.The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sonoco Products has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.800-6.200 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Sonoco Products Company will post 5.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Sonoco Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Sonoco Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.34%.

Sonoco Products 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.