Thursday, January 16, 2014

Sonoco (SON) 2014 Review

Sonoco Products Co is a leading producer of paper-based tubes and cores, flexible packaging, rigid plastic containers, cylinder paperboard, composite cans, protective partitions, wire and cable reels and point of purchase displays.  The company has grown profits and dividends at a 3-4% pace over the last ten years earning a 13-15% return on equity.  The company should improve its earnings growth rate as a result of:

(1)    new product innovation.  SON has raised the amount of capital spending dedicated to new product opportunities,

(2)   sales are leveraged to an improving US economy,

(3) its ongoing restructuring efforts to reduce costs and improve productivity,

(4) debt reduction.

Negatives

(1) rising costs of raw materials,

(2) weak EU economy,

Sonoco is rated A by Value Line, has a 37% debt to equity ratio, has raised its dividend for 27 consecutive years and its stock yields 3.0%.
   
        Statistical Summary

                 Stock      Dividend         Payout      # Increases  
                Yield      Growth Rate     Ratio       Since 2004

SON          3.0%          8%               51%             10
Ind Ave      1.9             11                34                NA 

                Debt/                        EPS Down       Net        Value Line
                Equity         ROE      Since 2004      Margin       Rating

SON         37%            16%             4                 5%           A
Ind Ave     52               18               NA               6            NA

     Chart

            Note: SON stock made great progress off its March 2009 low, surpassing the downtrend off its July 2007 high (straight red line) and the November 2008 trading high (green line).  Long term, the stock is in an uptrend (blue lines).  Intermediate term, it is in an uptrend (purple lines).  Short term, it is in an uptrend (brown line).  The wiggly red line is the 50 day moving average.  The High Yield Portfolio owns a 50% position in SON.  The upper boundary of its Buy Value Range is $22; the lower boundary of its Sell Half Range is $48.

   

01/14

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