Sonoco has posted first-quarter attributable net income of $67.6m, compared with $54.4m in the same quarter of 2025.
Diluted earnings per share attributable to Sonoco increased to $0.68 from $0.55 a year earlier.
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Net sales for the first quarter of 2026 came in at $1.7bn, a decline of 1.9% from the comparable period last year.
The reduction was mainly linked to the sale of the ThermoSafe temperature-assured packaging business in November 2025.
The company said pricing actions taken in response to inflation and tariffs, together with favourable foreign exchange movements, partly balanced the effect of weaker volume or mix.
Operating profit was unchanged at $127m.
Sonoco said savings from cost-cutting measures and procurement, along with a positive relationship between pricing and costs, were offset by the loss of earnings from the divested ThermoSafe unit and by weaker volume or mix.
Adjusted operating profit for the quarter was $201m while adjusted EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation] totalled $277m.
As of 29 March 2026, total debt stood at $4.7bn and net debt was $4.5bn, representing increases of $0.4bn and $0.6bn, respectively, from 31 December 2025. Sonoco said the change was chiefly due to seasonal movements in net working capital within its metal packaging business.
The company also opened a paper can manufacturing site in Nong Yai, Thailand, aimed at the stacked chip market in Asia.
In addition, it has committed $20m to expand nailed wood reel production at its site in Hartselle, Alabama, US, in response to wire and cable infrastructure demand tied to AI data centres.
Sonoco president and CEO Howard Coker said: “We are proud of our team’s solid performance in the first quarter despite disruptions from severe winter weather, which impacted our customers and our operations, a fire that destroyed a recycling facility in South Carolina and the effects of rapidly changing macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions.
“Results from our consumer packaging segment exceeded our expectations while our industrial paper packaging segment faced operational and demand challenges. Overall, productivity and a favourable price / cost environment more than offset a decline in volume / mix.”
For 2026, Sonoco kept its net sales forecast unchanged at $7.25bn to $7.75bn. It projected adjusted EPS to come in at the lower end of its earlier guidance range of $5.80 to $6.20 per diluted share.
Sonoco recently revealed plans to increase prices in the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) market for uncoated recycled paperboard, tube and core products.
The company plans to add €80 ($92.5) per tonne to URB [uncoated recycled board] grades and apply an 8% rise to all tube and core products sold in the region.
