Which Is a Better Investment, Greif, Inc. or Sonoco Products Company Stock?

By Omar Beirat
April 01, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Containers & Packaging industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Sonoco Products Company, Greif or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc.

Sonoco Products Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells various engineered and sustainable packaging products in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Packaging and Industrial Paper Packaging. The Consumer Packaging segment offers round and shaped rigid paper, steel, and plastic containers, as well as metal and peelable membrane ends, closures, and components. Its Industrial Paper Packaging segment provides paperboard tubes, cones, and cores; paper-based protective packaging; and uncoated recycled paperboards. The company also offers packaging materials, such as plastic, paper, foam, and various other specialty materials. It sells its products in various markets, including the paper, textile, film, food, packaging, construction, and wire and cable markets. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Hartsville, South Carolina.

Greif, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells industrial packaging products and services worldwide. It operates in four segments: Customized Polymer Solutions; Durable Metal Solutions; Sustainable Fiber Solutions; and Integrated Solutions. The Customized Polymer Solutions segment produces and sells polymer-based packaging products, such as plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, and small plastics for chemicals, food and beverage, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and mineral products industries. The Durable Metal Solutions segment offers metal-based packaging products, including various steel drums for the chemicals, petroleum, agriculture, and paints and coatings industries. The Sustainable Fiber Solutions segment provides fiber-based packaging products comprising fibre drums, uncoated recycled board, coated recycled board, tubes and cores, and specialty partitions made from uncoated recycled board and coated recycled board to packaging, automotive, construction, food and beverage, and building products industries. The Integrated Solutions segment offers complimentary packaging products, such as paints, linings, and closure systems for industrial packaging products and related services. The company manufactures and sells rigid industrial packaging products, such as steel, fibre and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, jerrycans and other small plastics, closure systems for industrial packaging products, water bottles, and remanufactured and reconditioned industrial containers, as well as offers container life cycle management, logistics, warehousing, and other packaging services. It also purchases and sells recycled fiber; and produces and sells adhesives. The company was formerly known as Greif Bros. Corporation and changed its name to Greif, Inc. in 2001. Greif, Inc. was founded in 1877 and is headquartered in Delaware, Ohio.

Latest Containers & Packaging and Sonoco Products Company, Greif, Inc. Stock News

As of March 31, 2026, Sonoco Products Company had a $5.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Containers & Packaging median of $4.1 million. Sonoco Products Company’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 15.82% in the past year.

Currently, Sonoco Products Company’s price-earnings ratio is 9.1. Sonoco Products Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $7.5 billion with a 13.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 29.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.957 per share for the current fiscal year. Sonoco Products Company currently has a 3.9% dividend yield.

Currently, Greif, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 20.9. Greif, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $4.3 billion with a 25.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -2.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.127 per share for the current fiscal year. Greif, Inc. currently has a 3.3% dividend yield.

How We Compare Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Sonoco Products Company SON B
Greif, Inc. GEF C

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Sonoco Products Company has a Quality Score of 75, which is Strong. Greif, Inc. has a Quality Score of 58, which is Average.

The Quality Grade Winner: Sonoco Products Company

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Sonoco Products Company has a better overall quality grade than Greif, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Sonoco Products Company could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Sonoco Products Company SON B
Greif, Inc. GEF C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Sonoco Products Company has a Momentum Score of 70, which is Strong. Greif, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 56, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Sonoco Products Company

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Sonoco Products Company is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Greif, Inc.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Sonoco Products Company could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Sonoco Products Company SON D
Greif, Inc. GEF F

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Sonoco Products Company has a Earnings Estimate Score of 40, which is Negative. Greif, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 8, which is Very Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Sonoco Products Company, Greif or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Sonoco Products Company, Greif or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

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Other Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Estimate Revisions and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Sonoco Products Company, Greif or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Sonoco Products Company stock has a Momentum Score of 70, Estimate Revisions Score of 40 and Quality Score of 75.

Greif, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 56, Estimate Revisions Score of 8 and Quality Score of 58.

Comparing Sonoco Products Company, Greif and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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