Analysts were expecting Sonoco Products Co. (SON) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $0.46 for last quarter, but SON beat expectations with actual earnings of $0.50---4 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.60 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that SON’s earnings are down this year.

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Also, if you compare SON's 5.75% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 15.64% for the Paper & Paper Products industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect SON to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Paper & Paper Products industry, you can see how analysts believe SON will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like International Paper Co. (IP) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Votorantim Celulose e Papel S.A. (VCP) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe IP's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 0.33% while VCP's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 72.05%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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