The Charles Coker most people are searching for when they type 'Charles Coker net worth' is Charles W. Coker (Charles Westfield Coker), the longtime president and CEO of Sonoco Products Company based in Hartsville, South Carolina. Based on SEC-derived insider holdings data compiled by financial research platforms, his estimated net worth sits in the range of $37.8 million to $46 million as of early 2026, with the variation coming down to methodology differences between sources rather than any dramatic change in underlying assets.
Charles Coker Net Worth Estimate: Income Sources & Verification
Marcus Redfield
16 May 2026
Who Is Charles Coker? Getting the Right Person
Charles W. Coker (born May 10, 1933, died June 27, 2024) was an American businessman whose career was deeply tied to Sonoco Products Company, the global industrial packaging manufacturer headquartered in Hartsville, South Carolina. He served as president and CEO of Sonoco, and the Coker family name is woven into the company's entire corporate history. If you've seen references to 'then-CEO Charles W. Coker' in Sonoco's own historical content, that's the same person.
There is a disambiguation issue worth flagging here. Some searches may return results for Charles W. Coker Jr., who also appears in Sonoco corporate announcements (a Sonoco press release identifies him as heading a specific division of the company). There are also unrelated individuals named Charles Coker across business, sports, and other fields. For net-worth purposes, the financial data aggregators and SEC filings consistently point to Charles W. Coker senior, the longtime CEO and Sonoco insider, as the subject of the wealth estimates. His insider capacity also extended to Bank of America, where he served as a director, which added a second stream of publicly traceable equity holdings.
The Net Worth Estimate Right Now
Two of the most frequently cited financial research platforms put the number at different points within the same general range. GuruFocus, using SEC-derived share positions calculated as of March 21, 2026, places the estimated net worth at at least $46 million. Benzinga, updating its estimate as of April 22, 2026, reports $37.8 million. The spread between those two figures is not unusual for insider-based wealth estimates, because each platform applies slightly different assumptions about which transactions to include, what share price snapshot to use, and whether to account for positions that may have been sold or transferred after the most recent Form 4 filing.
| Source | Estimate | Data Date | Confidence Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| GuruFocus | At least $46 million | March 21, 2026 | Moderate (SEC holdings based) |
| Benzinga | $37.8 million | April 22, 2026 | Moderate (SEC insider trades based) |
| Combined range | $37.8M to $46M+ | Early 2026 | Moderate overall |
I'd call the confidence level on this range moderate rather than high. The estimates are grounded in real SEC filings, which is more reliable than pure speculation. But they capture only the equity holdings that were reported to regulators. Real estate, private assets, trust assets, and any holdings below reporting thresholds are not reflected in the insider-trading data these platforms use.
How This Net Worth Was Calculated
The methodology behind these estimates is worth understanding, because it explains both what the numbers include and what they miss. Platforms like GuruFocus and Benzinga derive their estimates from SEC Form 4 filings, which insiders must submit when they buy, sell, or receive shares in a public company. The process works like this: take the number of shares an insider holds after the most recent reported transaction, multiply by the current (or recent) share price, and that gives you a baseline stock-based net worth. GuruFocus explicitly notes that its methodology uses final share counts after Form 4 transactions and assumes no additional transactions occurred after the filing date.
For Charles W. Coker, the two primary sources of traceable equity were Sonoco Products Company shares (as a long-tenured executive and insider) and Bank of America shares (as a board director, which requires disclosure of equity compensation and holdings). Both companies are publicly traded, so those positions have publicly verifiable valuations. What this methodology does not capture: cash savings, private investments, real property beyond what's publicly indexed, charitable trust assets, or any family partnerships. That's why these estimates are always described as 'at least' a certain figure rather than a definitive total.
Where the Money Came From: Income and Career Earnings
Coker's wealth was built over decades at the top of a major publicly traded industrial company, supplemented by board compensation at a major financial institution. Here's how the income picture breaks down:
- Executive compensation at Sonoco Products: As president and CEO of a large-cap industrial company, Coker would have received a combination of base salary, annual bonuses, and long-term equity awards over the course of his tenure. Sonoco, which trades on the NYSE, has had annual revenues in the billions, and CEO compensation at comparable companies typically ran into seven figures annually during his active tenure.
- Equity accumulation at Sonoco: Years of equity-based compensation compound significantly over time, particularly for an executive who stayed with a company through its growth phases. Much of the $37.8M to $46M estimate likely reflects accumulated Sonoco share holdings.
- Bank of America director compensation: Corporate board directors at major financial institutions receive annual retainers, meeting fees, and equity grants. At Bank of America's scale, director total compensation has historically been in the $300,000 to $400,000 per year range, a meaningful secondary income stream.
- Family business legacy: The Coker family has multi-generational ties to Sonoco, meaning wealth accumulation extends beyond a single career's compensation and into inherited equity positions and family trust structures.
Assets, Investments, and Business Interests
Beyond the SEC-trackable stock holdings, there are several publicly verifiable asset signals that give a clearer picture of how wealth was held.
- Sonoco Products shares: The primary asset driving the net worth estimates. Coker's insider status meant ongoing equity compensation and likely long-term share accumulation dating back decades.
- Bank of America shares: A secondary equity position arising from his role as a Bank of America director, confirmed through SEC filings that name him as a reporting person in an insider capacity.
- Real estate: A Homes.com listing attributes the property at 1100 W Carolina Ave, Hartsville, SC 29550 to the 'Charles W. Coker Living Trust,' with an estimated property value of $1,461,322 and ownership noted from September 2023 onward. This is a meaningful real estate holding but represents a relatively small portion of the overall estimated net worth.
- Charitable trust: ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer lists 'The Joan Sasser Coker and Charles Westfield Coker Charitable' entity tied to Hartsville, SC. Charitable trusts of this type typically hold assets that are legally separate from personal net worth, so this is not counted in the $37.8M to $46M range, but it signals significant philanthropic asset allocation.
- Living trust structure: The use of a named living trust for the Hartsville property suggests Coker's estate was at least partially organized through trust structures, which is common for high-net-worth individuals seeking estate planning efficiency. Trust-held assets are not always publicly reported, so the visible estimates likely undercount total holdings.
What Could Make the Estimate Wrong: Debts, Liabilities, and Uncertainty
There are real reasons why any estimate in this range carries uncertainty, and it's worth being direct about them.
- Positions sold after the last Form 4: Insider wealth estimates freeze at the most recent SEC filing date. If Coker or his estate sold substantial positions after that date and before the platforms updated, the real figure would be lower than the published estimate.
- Estate settlement: Charles W. Coker passed away on June 27, 2024. An estate in settlement may involve liquidations, transfers to heirs, and charitable distributions that would materially change the picture from the pre-death filings.
- Trust assets are opaque: If significant assets were held in the living trust or charitable trust structures, they may not appear in publicly accessible databases. This means the real total could be higher than the SEC-based estimate or structured in ways that make 'net worth' a less meaningful single figure.
- No debt visibility: Standard net worth estimates based on insider filings do not account for any personal loans, mortgages, or other liabilities. The Hartsville property, for example, may carry a mortgage that reduces its net equity below the $1.46M assessed value.
- Market volatility: Both Sonoco and Bank of America share prices fluctuate. A 10% move in Sonoco's stock price meaningfully shifts any estimate built on a large equity position.
How to Verify This and Find the Most Current Number
If you want to stress-test or update any of the figures above, here's exactly what to check and in what order:
- SEC EDGAR (edgar.sec.gov): Search for 'Charles W Coker' or 'Charles Westfield Coker' under Form 4 filings. This gives you the raw insider transaction and holdings data that all the third-party platforms are deriving their estimates from. It's the primary source.
- GuruFocus insider tracker: GuruFocus aggregates SEC Form 4 data into a readable net worth estimate with a methodology note. As of March 2026, it reported at least $46 million. Check the date stamp on any visit, because the platform does update as new filings come in.
- Benzinga insider trades: Benzinga's April 2026 update showed $37.8 million. It also shows transaction history, which helps you see whether shares are being accumulated or sold down.
- South Carolina property records: For real estate verification, the Darlington County (SC) assessor or register of deeds office holds the authoritative ownership and assessed value records for any Hartsville properties. Homes.com is a useful starting point but is not the primary deed record.
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: For understanding the charitable trust, search 'Coker Charitable Hartsville' on Nonprofit Explorer (projects.propublica.org/nonprofits). Nonprofit Form 990 filings show asset levels and distributions, giving partial visibility into charitable assets.
- Sonoco annual reports and proxy statements: Sonoco's proxy statements (DEF 14A filings on SEC EDGAR) historically disclosed executive compensation in detail for named executives. Historical proxies from Coker's active years would give the most accurate view of direct compensation.
Red Flags to Watch For in Other Sources
Net worth aggregator sites vary widely in quality. A few things to watch for when you're evaluating a source: Does it cite SEC filings or specific transactions as its basis? If a site just lists a round number like '$50 million' with no methodology, treat it as speculation. Does the estimate predate Coker's passing in June 2024? Pre-death estimates don't reflect estate settlement activity. Is the site confusing Charles W. Coker with Charles W. Coker Jr., who also has a Sonoco connection? The two are distinct individuals with different roles and almost certainly different asset profiles. Finally, celebrity net worth aggregators that scrape and republish numbers without updating timestamps are common in this space. Always check when the figure was last reviewed.
How This Compares to Other Notable Charles Figures
For context, Charles W. Coker's estimated range of $37.8 million to $46 million places him firmly in the high-net-worth category, built through a decades-long corporate executive career rather than entrepreneurial exits or entertainment. This is a different wealth-building profile than you'd see in, say, profiles of Charles Cornell or Charles Clough, where career trajectories and income structures differ significantly. If you're comparing wealth profiles, the charles cornell net worth figure is another adjacent example, though it may reflect a very different career path. Charles Clough net worth figures are typically estimated from public disclosures and reported holdings, similar to how insider wealth ranges are constructed. It's closer in structure to corporate insiders who accumulate equity over long tenures, with the Coker family's multi-generational Sonoco connection adding an inherited-wealth dimension that is unusual even among long-tenured executives. These Charles Coker net worth estimates are often discussed alongside the overall Charles Claxton net worth figures in similar finance-roundup searches multi-generational Sonoco connection.
FAQ
Why do Charles Coker net worth estimates often look like a range instead of one number?
Most “net worth” pages based on insider filings are stock-centric, so your usable answer is “investable net worth from publicly disclosed holdings,” not a true total. A practical way to reconcile this is to treat the SEC-based estimate as a floor for reported equity, then add any clearly disclosed non-stock holdings only if they appear in filings or verified interviews.
How can I tell if a Charles Coker net worth figure is using the right person (senior vs Jr.)?
Yes, but it requires checking the identity behind the Sonoco references. Look for the middle initial and the senior timeline (born 1933, died 2024) versus “Jr.”-type references, then confirm the executive role and the specific corporate division named in the press release. If those don’t align, assume the estimate may be mixing people.
Can I update Charles Coker net worth myself using the same method as the sites?
If the platform used Form 4 snapshots, it may be outdated by the time you view it, especially after major stock moves. To update, grab the latest post-transaction share counts from the most recent Form 4 and multiply by the share price at your chosen cutoff date, then compare to the site’s stated methodology date.
Do Charles Coker net worth numbers change meaningfully after his passing in 2024?
A pre-death estimate can be noticeably off because estates often trigger transfers, liquidation, or re-titling that may not be reflected in the same way as “insider holdings.” After a death, you may see changes that are accurate but not captured until later filings, so it is better to compare estimates made before versus after June 2024.
What parts of wealth are SEC-based insider estimates most likely to omit?
SEC Form 4 can miss important wealth components, particularly private investments, real estate held through entities, trust beneficiaries, and assets below reporting thresholds. That is why two sites can agree on the same stock baseline while still producing different totals.
Does Charles Coker’s board role at Bank of America get counted the same way as Sonoco stock?
Board-related equity at a public company is typically disclosed, but the magnitude depends on the specific equity instruments and timing (shares, options converted into shares, RSUs that vest, and any subsequent sales). If a site doesn’t explain whether it includes vested-but-not-sold positions, compare their methodology notes before trusting the spread.
Why can two SEC-derived sites produce very different Charles Coker net worth values within the same range?
Yes, and it is usually due to assumptions like which transactions are considered “current,” whether to include cross trades, how to treat transfers without cash, and which share-price date they apply. When you see $37.8M versus $46M style gaps, check the “as of” date and whether they state final share counts after the most recent Form 4.
What red flags should I look for when evaluating a Charles Coker net worth aggregator?
Watch for sites that present a single figure with no methodology date, no mention of SEC Form 4 or insider transactions, or figures that appear to be inherited from older articles without updates. A quick sanity check is whether their stated range aligns with the shares and equity type disclosed around the timeframe they cite.
Do insider-based Charles Coker net worth estimates account for liabilities and debt?
In practice, “net worth” can be calculated differently, especially around debt. Insider-based equity estimates are essentially asset-value focused and often do not subtract liabilities you cannot reliably verify from filings alone, so “higher” does not necessarily mean “more cash” or “more spending power.”
What’s the best step-by-step way to verify Charles Coker net worth numbers?
If you want a better estimate than what any single site provides, use a three-step approach: (1) identify the correct person, (2) compile the latest Form 4 positions for Sonoco and Bank of America, and (3) choose a share-price cutoff date and apply it consistently across both sources.