•
Dec 31, 2023

Sonoco Q4 2023 Earnings Report

Sonoco's Q4 2023 earnings were impacted by lower volumes and pricing, but offset by productivity.

Key Takeaways

Sonoco reported a decrease in net sales by 2% to $1.6 billion. GAAP operating profit increased to $135 million. Adjusted EPS decreased to $1.02. The company highlighted strong productivity offset by higher employee expenses.

Net sales decreased 2% to $1.6 billion due to lower volumes and pricing.

GAAP operating profit increased to $135 million due to lower acquisition and restructuring costs, favorable productivity, and revenue from acquisitions.

Adjusted operating profit and Adjusted EBITDA decreased to $167 million and $236 million, respectively.

Company achieved second best full year results for Adjusted EPS in the Company’s 125-year history

Total Revenue
$1.64B
Previous year: $1.68B
-2.4%
EPS
$1.02
Previous year: $1.27
-19.7%
Gross Profit
$340M
Previous year: $314M
+8.2%
Cash and Equivalents
$152M
Previous year: $227M
-33.2%
Free Cash Flow
$600M
Previous year: $190M
+216.0%
Total Assets
$7.19B
Previous year: $7.09B
+1.4%

Sonoco

Sonoco

Sonoco Revenue by Segment

Forward Guidance

In the first quarter of 2024, the company expects volumes to be down over the prior year period and negative price/cost from metal price overlap and from the year-over-year Industrial comparable. For the full year, Sonoco is expecting overall sales to be up modestly and price/cost impacts to be negative.

Positive Outlook

  • Expecting overall sales to be up modestly
  • Intend to continue to aggressively manage costs
  • Generate positive productivity
  • Focused on executing strategic initiatives to simplify our portfolio
  • Capture synergies from recent acquisitions to advance Sonoco through 2024 and beyond

Challenges Ahead

  • Expect volumes to be down over the prior year period in Q1 2024
  • Expect negative price/cost from metal price overlap in Q1 2024
  • Expect negative price/cost from the year-over-year Industrial comparable in Q1 2024
  • Expecting price/cost impacts to be negative for the full year
  • Navigating global volume uncertainties

Revenue & Expenses

Visualization of income flow from segment revenue to net income