AVERY DENNISON CORPORATION vs SONOCO PRODUCTS CO, two Paper & Packaging stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Returns on equity land close here, 29.98% at Avery Dennison and 28.33% at Sonoco, yet the market values them nothing alike. Sonoco changes hands for 5.4 times earnings against Avery Dennison's 18.67 times, and for 1.53 times book against 5.55 times. Sonoco also runs the fatter net margin, 13.57% against 7.66%, and pays more, 3.83% against 2.23%. The catch sits on the balance sheet: Sonoco carries 1.31 in debt to equity, Avery Dennison 0.26. Free cash flow yield tilts the other way, 6.84% at Avery Dennison against 3.94% at Sonoco. Similar returns, wildly different price tags, with the leverage explaining part of the discount.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | AVY | SON |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $160.66 | $55.91 |
| Market cap | $12.4B | $5.6B |
| Sector | Paper & Packaging | Paper & Packaging |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +3.2% | -4.7% |
| P/E | 18.1 | 5.5 |
| P/B | 5.38 | 1.55 |
| P/S | 1.37 | 0.74 |
| EV/EBITDA | 37.7 | 8.8 |
| Revenue growth | +2.9% | +33.6% |
| Gross margin | 28.9% | 20.6% |
| Operating margin | — | 7.6% |
| Net margin | 7.7% | 13.6% |
| Return on equity | 30.0% | 28.3% |
| Return on assets | 7.7% | 9.2% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 9.7% |
| FCF yield | 7.1% | 3.9% |
| Dividend yield | 2.3% | 3.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.26 | 1.31 |
| Current ratio | 1.15 | 0.96 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.95 | 1.58 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.