Sonoco Products's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Sonoco Products (SON) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Sonoco Products vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 7,486M vs 142,726M combined for tracked competitors (5.0% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-10.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs holding steady (-1.1%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Sonoco Products generated -1.9% revenue growth year over year in Q1 2026, vs 12.0% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 4.0% net margin compares with 5.3% for the peer group.
- Scale: Sonoco Products ranks #5 of 11 companies by market capitalization in the Containers & Packaging industry, holding 5.5% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Sonoco Products accounted for 4.5% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 5.1% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.34M compares with $0.40M for the peer group (0.9x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
SON Sales vs. its Competitors, Q1 2026
Sonoco Products reported revenue contraction of 1.92 % year on year in Q1 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 12.02 %.
With a net margin of 4.03 %, Sonoco Products reported lower profitability than its competitors (5.28 %).
Sonoco Products generated 4.53 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 5.14 % a year earlier.
Sonoco Products vs. its Competitors, Q1 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Sonoco Products and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (2) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (8) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Sonoco Products's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Containers & Packaging industry grew revenue 4.3% year over year, combined, vs -1.9% for Sonoco Products. Sonoco Products's share of combined industry revenue moved from 4.64% to 4.36%, a loss of 0.28 percentage points.
Sonoco Products's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (20) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (3) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 25.00 % (2 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
SON Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
SON Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
SON Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
SON Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sealed Air Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Ufp Technologies Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Greif Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Stepan Company | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Berry Global Group Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Sonoco Products's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Sonoco Products's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Sonoco Products Company
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | 4,983.60 | 7,485.97 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 78,808.33 | 16,469.00 |
| Packaging Corp Of America | 20,943.49 | 9,535.70 |
| Amcor Plc | 19,846.00 | 23,506.00 |
| International Paper Company | 18,003.00 | 22,941.00 |
| Ball Corporation | 15,261.65 | 14,354.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 220,024.69 | 166,805.83 |
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Sources: Sonoco Products Company's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Sonoco Products Company versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Sonoco Products's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Amcor Plc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Crown Holdings Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Pactiv Evergreen Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Aptargroup inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Sonoco Products's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Sonoco Products's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | Consumer Packaging 64.23 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Automotive OEM 20.42 % |
| Packaging Corp Of America | Packaging 92.83 % |
| Amcor Plc | Flexibles 54.58 % |
| International Paper Company | Packaging Solutions North America 60.73 % |
| Ball Corporation | Metal Beverage Packaging North and Central America 48.25 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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Sonoco Products's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | 4,984 | 340,271 | 46,206 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 78,808 | 383,000 | 74,279 |
| Packaging Corp Of America | 20,943 | 567,601 | 41,113 |
| Amcor Plc | 19,846 | 313,413 | 14,747 |
| International Paper Company | 18,003 | 366,458 | -54,918 |
| Ball Corporation | 15,262 | 897,125 | 59,313 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 215,041 | 396,842 | 12,727 |
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Sonoco Products's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | United States 48.14 % |
| Amcor Plc | North America 49.88 % |
| International Paper Company | EMEA 38.90 % |
| Berry Global Group Inc | United States and Canada 56.51 % |
| Aptargroup inc | Europe 50.76 % |
| Sealed Air Corp | Americas 64.01 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
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Sonoco Products's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 11 companies in Sonoco Products's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Sonoco Products ranks #5 of 11 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 5.45 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 1,744, indicating a moderately concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smurfit Westrock Plc | 23,996 | 26.25 % |
| 2 | Packaging Corp Of America | 20,943 | 22.91 % |
| 3 | Ball Corporation | 15,061 | 16.48 % |
| 4 | Crown Holdings Inc | 11,891 | 13.01 % |
| 5 | Sonoco Products Company | 4,984 | 5.45 % |
| 6 | Reynolds Consumer Products Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Silgan Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Graphic Packaging Holding Co | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Ardagh Metal Packaging S a | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | O i Glass Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Sonoco Products's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Sonoco Products's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smurfit Westrock Plc | 23,996 | 7.90 % |
| 2 | Packaging Corp Of America | 20,943 | 10.41 % |
| 3 | Ball Corporation | 15,061 | 16.32 % |
| 4 | Crown Holdings Inc | 11,891 | 14.10 % |
| 5 | Sonoco Products Company | 4,984 | 13.32 % |
| 6 | Reynolds Consumer Products Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Silgan Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 8 | Graphic Packaging Holding Co | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 9 | Ardagh Metal Packaging S a | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 10 | O i Glass Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Sonoco Products's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Sonoco Products's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Containers & Packaging industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (14 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 20.92 % | 18.22 % (avg) | +2.7 pp |
| Operating Margin | 13.60 % | industry median | +3.7 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 17.31 % | 8.91 % (avg) | +8.4 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 4.19 % | 4.57 % (avg) | -0.4 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Sonoco Products's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Containers & Packaging industry average (14 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 5.2x | 21.0x | -15.8x |
| EV / EBITDA | 7.7x | 12.8x | -5.1x |
| P/B | 1.5x | 2.1x | -0.5x |
| Return on Equity | 29.49 % | industry aggregate | 19.07 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 7.86 % | 5.26 % (avg) | 2.60 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Sonoco Products's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 7.03 % | -0.31 % | -2.54 % | 6.74 % | 29.67 % | -6.46 % | -2.79 % | 19.37 % |
| Operating Margin | 8.12 % | 8.69 % | 6.83 % | 8.71 % | 9.32 % | 10.56 % | 5.18 % | 13.54 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 8.09 % | 8.40 % | 6.16 % | 8.85 % | 9.38 % | 8.88 % | 3.58 % | 7.95 % |
| P/E | 17.8x | 20.7x | 28.5x | - | 12.6x | 11.7x | 30.0x | 4.3x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Sonoco Products's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Sonoco Products's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Sonoco Products is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Sonoco Products's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Sonoco Products's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) — a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Sonoco Products falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.21x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 1.7% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Sonoco Products's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Moderate | Industry HHI of 1,744 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Moderate, in line with the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 4.19 % vs industry average 4.57 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Sonoco Products's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Sonoco Products's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Sonoco Products's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Sonoco Products falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Sonoco Products's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) — not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Return on equity 19.1 points above the industry aggregate.
Weaknesses
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-10.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.21x).
Opportunities
- Trades at a lower P/E than the industry average (5.2x vs 21.0x) despite a higher return on invested capital -- a possible re-rating opportunity.
- A meaningful share of tracked competitors (31.60 %) show financial-distress signals, a possible opening to gain share.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Sonoco Products's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | 0.10 | 1.03 | 1.42 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 0.17 | 1.24 | 2.93 |
| Packaging Corp Of America | 0.46 | 3.08 | 0.85 |
| Amcor Plc | 0.15 | 1.23 | 1.55 |
| International Paper Company | 0.14 | 1.23 | 0.77 |
| Ball Corporation | 0.14 | 1.10 | 1.00 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Sonoco Products's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | Q1 2026 | -1.9 % | +24.1 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q2 2026 | +6.1 % | +7.9 % |
| Packaging Corp Of America | Q2 2026 | +14.7 % | -20.9 % |
| Amcor Plc | Q2 2026 | +25.9 % | - |
| International Paper Company | Q2 2026 | -11.3 % | - |
| Ball Corporation | Q2 2026 | +19.6 % | +3.7 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +4.7 % | -20.6 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Sonoco Products's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | Q1 2026 | -1.8 % | -33.0 % |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | Q2 2026 | -10.5 % | -8.9 % |
| Packaging Corp Of America | Q2 2026 | +17.1 % | - |
| Amcor Plc | Q2 2026 | +20.9 % | +6.8 % |
| International Paper Company | Q2 2026 | -1.8 % | +26.3 % |
| Ball Corporation | Q2 2026 | +22.7 % | +46.9 % |
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Sonoco Products's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | 8.85% | 10.69% | 29.49% |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 19.64% | 26.49% | 101.72% |
| Packaging Corp Of America | 6.35% | 7.44% | 14.85% |
| Amcor Plc | 2.97% | 3.26% | 9.43% |
| International Paper Company | - | - | - |
| Ball Corporation | 4.86% | 5.87% | 17.05% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Sonoco Products's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoco Products Company | 4.90 | 0.67 |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc | 36.57 | 4.79 |
| Packaging Corp Of America | 23.79 | 2.20 |
| Amcor Plc | 22.14 | 0.84 |
| International Paper Company | - | 0.78 |
| Ball Corporation | 16.32 | 1.06 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 35.92 | 1.32 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.