Sonoco (SON)
NYSEMaterialsPackaging & ContainersSnapshot 2026-10-29
$49.96+0.14%
Close 2026-10-30 · 1-day change
NYSEMaterialsPackaging & ContainersSnapshot 2026-10-29
Research Workspace
Put SON beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Materials: fringe margins under pressure (0q confirmed)
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar broken — Generate $700M-$800M free cash flow in 2026: Free cash flow guidance: $275M to $325M.
View ThesisManagement screens weak on capital allocation, margins, the balance sheet, market reaction to earnings.
View ManagementExpectations look reasonable — what the market is pricing in sits in line with or below what analysts forecast.
View ValuationModerate volatility — typically moves about 1% a day.
View RiskSON’s margin-expansion case depends on improving operations, but recent financial performance has weakened. Revenue declines accelerated from 1.9% to 4.2% year over year, and Q3 missed expectations. SON trades at 9.2× P/E versus a 16× peer median, though expectations look modest versus our view. The specific risk is weak cash backing: 2026 free-cash-flow guidance of $275M to $325M falls below the $700M to $800M pillar. Our model puts the next-quarter miss near 28%. Peer multiples imply a price about 14% above where it trades; the thesis has broken. This read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-30. SON is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 11 analysts currently covering SON (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 5 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for SON in the last 4 months.
Continue this research
Compare SON with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SON Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 12 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-30. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put SON next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Threatens: Expand margins by approximately 200 basis points by 2028
A quarterly miss and reduced sales outlook challenge margin and operating-performance objectives.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-30. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $49.96
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $49.96.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Below average on quality vs scored peers
Threatens: Stabilize and grow revenue
Earnings outlook downgrade threatens revenue stabilization and growth.
Advances: Stabilize and grow revenue
Price increase supports revenue stabilization and growth objective.
Advances: Stabilize revenue
Increased revenue from data center demand supports stabilization objective.
Sales outlook supports revenue stabilization and growth objectives.
Advances: Stabilize revenue
Topping estimates supports revenue stabilization objective.
