SON vs WSC Stock Comparison
Compare SON and WSC across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.
What is the main difference between SON and WSC?
SON leads the current stock comparison as Sonoco Products Company, with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Sonoco Products Company vs WillScot Holdings Corporation
SON leads
SON leads by 6 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Risk Resilience, but the lead has narrowed from 15 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors WSC on target upside.
Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support SON, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Sonoco Products Company
WillScot Holdings Corporation
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SON over WSC, 43 versus 37 as of Sep 11, 2026. SON's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and risk resilience. SON also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors WSC. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor SON today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. SON lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 15 to 6 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Sonoco Products Company and WillScot Holdings Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price-return comparison using available daily close history.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000
Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.
Compare SON and WSC against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality38 vs 22SON +16
- Risk Resilience41 vs 32SON +9
- Momentum23 vs 25Even
- Value67 vs 66Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor SON. SON’s edge is concentrated in quality and risk resilience.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.
Largest factor move: Momentum +1
No new signals fired.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
SON's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — SON and WSC both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
SON (Sonoco Products Company): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and risk resilience.
WSC (WillScot Holdings Corporation): the counter-case, on fundamentals, analyst expectations — but at materially higher volatility, 40.8% against 29%.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
SONSON on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
WSCWSC on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
SONSON on Risk Resilience, by 9 points.
Analyst upside
WSCWSC on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors SON, analyst targets favor WSC. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | SON | WSC | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +29.6% | +43.6% | WSC has more room |
| Target dispersion | +8.1% | +18.7% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Hold | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 3 | 4 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor SON. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | SON | 43 vs 37 |
| Fundamentals | WSCon balance | revenue growth 12.5% vs 11.6%; EPS growth 54.4% vs 62.5%; TTM ROE 18.3% vs -7.5%; gross margin 20.8% vs 48.4%; operating margin 8.9% vs 20.2% — WSC takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | Even | Value 67 vs 66 |
| Technicals | SON | Price vs 50-day -14.8% vs -22%; vs 200-day -5.4% vs -16.5% |
| Risk Resilience | SON | Risk Resilience 41 vs 32 |
| Analyst expectations | WSC | Target upside 29.6% vs 43.6% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of SON and WSC and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 6 points.
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on SON.
How the comparison changed
119 daily snapshots · May 4 – Sep 10SON lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 15 to 6 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- SON +6
- 43 vs 37
- 7 sessions ago
- SON +8
- 45 vs 37
- 30 sessions ago
- SON +15
- 55 vs 40
- 90 sessions ago
- SON +19
- 58 vs 39
The lead changed hands 3 times in this window, most recently on May 20 when SON moved ahead of WSC.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
3 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (9.28%)
- BB Lower Band Breach — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
2 bullish / 2 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.95%)
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
SON leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -1.22%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.13%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1WSC closes the Quality gap — currently 16 points behind, the largest single contributor to SON's edge.
- 2WSC's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3SON's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 9 points over 30 sessions, and a further 6-point move would eliminate SON's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
WSC leads on balance| Metric | SON | WSC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 54.4% | 62.5% |
| Gross margin | 20.8% | 48.4% |
| Operating margin | 8.9% | 20.2% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 18.3% | -7.5% |
| Debt to equity | 1.31 | 4.17 |
Performance
Split across windows| Metric | SON | WSC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -11.5% | -4.6% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -16.6% | -15.3% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -1.1% | -29.4% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -7% | -3.3% |
| Year to date | 11% | -0.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 4.9% | -19.5% |
Technicals
SON has the stronger structure| Metric | SON | WSC |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 15.5 | 20.4 |
| ADX (14) | 26.1 | 33.6 |
| Price vs 50-day | -14.8% | -22% |
| Price vs 200-day | -5.4% | -16.5% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 29% | 40.8% |
Risk
SON is the more resilient| Metric | SON | WSC |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.45 | 1.81 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.23 | -0.21 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.28 | -0.36 |
| Max drawdown | -20.1% | -36.4% |
| Current drawdown | -20% | -35.7% |
| Annualized volatility | 33.5% | 52% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -2.7% | -5.2% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, SON or WSC?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, SON is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 43 against WSC's 37. The edge comes from quality and risk resilience. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is SON or WSC the better buy right now?
SON carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor SON over WSC?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. SON leads Quality by 16 points; SON leads Risk Resilience by 9 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, SON or WSC?
Analyst price targets imply +29.6% upside for SON and +43.6% for WSC, so the Street currently favors WSC. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors SON. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, SON or WSC?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, SON or WSC?
WSC on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, SON or WSC?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, SON or WSC?
SON is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. SON on Risk Resilience, by 9 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is SON more profitable than WSC?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 20.8% vs 48.4%; operating margin 8.9% vs 20.2%; ttm roe 18.3% vs -7.5%. SON leads on one measure and WSC on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is SON's lead over WSC getting stronger or weaker?
SON lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 15 to 6 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has changed hands 3 times in that window, most recently on 2026-05-20, when SON moved ahead of WSC.
What would change the SON vs WSC verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: WSC closes the Quality gap — currently 16 points behind, the largest single contributor to SON's edge; WSC's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it; SON's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 9 points over 30 sessions, and a further 6-point move would eliminate SON's advantage entirely.
What do the current signals say about SON and WSC?
SON: 3 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. WSC: 2 bullish / 2 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on SON is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On WSC it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare SON and WSC with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.