HARTSVILLE, S.C., April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Board of Directors of Sonoco (NYSE: SON) today declared a $.30 per share quarterly common stock dividend, an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $.29 per share. The dividend will be paid on June 8, 2012, to shareholders of record as of May 18, 2012.
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According to Harris E. DeLoach Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, this is the 30th consecutive year that Sonoco has increased common stock dividends and 348th consecutive quarter, dating back to 1925, that the Company has paid dividends to shareholders. If annualized, Sonoco's new dividend is projected to increase from $1.16 to $1.20 per share, an increase of 3.4 percent.
Sonoco's projected annualized dividend of $1.20 per share provides a yield of approximately 3.7 percent, based on the Company's closing stock price of $32.80 as of April 17, 2012. Sonoco's dividend yield is one of the highest provided by U.S. packaging companies and is approximately 75 percent higher than the yield provided by the S&P 500.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $4.5 billion, the Company has more than 19,600 employees working in 349 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2011/2012 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.
SOURCE Sonoco
