Can Value Investors Consider Sonoco Products (SON) Stock?

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Sonoco Products Company SON stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Sonoco Products has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.42, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares quite favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 18.34. Also, if we focus on the long-term PE trend, Sonoco Products’ current PE level puts it below its midpoint of 17.86 over the past five years.

The stock’s PE however compares unfavorably with the Industrial Products Market’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 15.9. This indicates that the stock is overvalued right now, compared to its peers.

Meanwhile, Sonoco Products has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 16.08, which slightly lower than the current level. So, it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Sonoco Products stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Sonoco Products has a P/S ratio of 1.07. This is quite lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.23x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Sonoco Products currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Sonoco Products a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Sonoco Products might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of C and a Momentum Score of B. This gives SON a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been discouraging. The current quarter has seen three estimates go down in the past sixty days compared to one upward revision, while the full year estimate has seen three down and one up in the same time period.

This has had a negative effect on the consensus estimate. While the current-quarter consensus estimate dipped 2.2% over the past two months, the full-year estimate has inched down 0.3%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Sonoco Products Company Price and Consensus

Sonoco Products Company Price and Consensus

Sonoco Products Company price-consensus-chart | Sonoco Products Company Quote

Such bearish analyst sentiments is the reason why the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Sonoco Products is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite a strong industry rank (among Top 30% of more than 250 industries), with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too optimistic about the stock.

Also, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:

So, value investors might want to wait for analyst sentiments and past industry performance to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

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