Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Has $651,000 Stake in Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,656 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,940 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sonoco Products were worth $651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SON. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Sonoco Products in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sonoco Products during the 1st quarter valued at about $50,000. 77.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sonoco Products Price Performance

NYSE:SON opened at $57.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.68. Sonoco Products has a 12 month low of $49.98 and a 12 month high of $63.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $57.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.60.

Sonoco Products (NYSE:SON) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Sonoco Products had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 22.42%. Sonoco Products’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sonoco Products will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sonoco Products Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 28th were given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Sonoco Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SON shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Sonoco Products from $58.00 to $56.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. TheStreet lowered shares of Sonoco Products from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sonoco Products presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sonoco Products

In other Sonoco Products news, VP Adam Wood sold 537 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.04, for a total value of $30,630.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 28,273 shares in the company, valued at $1,612,691.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Sonoco Products news, insider Jeffrey S. Tomaszewski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.53, for a total value of $604,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $774,123.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Adam Wood sold 537 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.04, for a total transaction of $30,630.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 28,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,612,691.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,076 shares of company stock worth $749,002 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Sonoco Products Company Profile

Sonoco Products Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells various engineered and sustainable packaging products in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company operates Consumer Packaging and Industrial Paper Packaging segments. The Consumer Packaging segment offers round and shaped rigid paper, steel, and plastic containers; metal and peelable membrane ends, closures, and components; thermoformed plastic trays and enclosures; and high-barrier flexible packaging products.