National Pension Service Grows Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

National Pension Service raised its stake in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 31.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,294 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,422 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Ball were worth $4,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Ball by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ball by 402.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,356,000 after purchasing an additional 67,289 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ball by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ball during the second quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ball by 2.9% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 40,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,292,000 after buying an additional 1,143 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a report on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Ball in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Ball from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $63.00 target price on Ball and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.92.

Ball Trading Up 9.0%

BALL stock opened at $61.78 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.74. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.51 and a 52 week high of $62.77.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Ball had a return on equity of 17.89% and a net margin of 5.36%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.84 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Ball’s payout ratio is presently 32.52%.

Trending Headlines about Ball

Here are the key news stories impacting Ball this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat: Ball reported adjusted EPS of $0.91 (vs. $0.90 consensus) and revenue of $3.35B (vs. ~$3.11B expected); management cited higher volumes and favorable price/mix driving sales growth. BALL’s Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash and shareholder returns: Ball generated record adjusted free cash flow (~$956M for 2025) and returned ~$1.54B via buybacks/dividends, supporting capital allocation and buyback-driven EPS. Ball Reports Strong Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic M&A: Completed a majority stake acquisition in European can maker Benepack, expanding capacity/market presence in Europe. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance: Brokerages have a consensus “Moderate Buy” on BALL, indicating continued analyst support but not unanimous conviction. Brokerage Consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Documentation posted: The company published the press release, slide deck and conference call transcript for investors to review management’s commentary and assumptions. Earnings Materials
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance and margin pressure: Ball set FY‑2026 EPS guidance slightly below consensus (~$3.93 vs. ~$3.98), and management noted higher input costs that weighed on margins across segments — a constraint on upside despite top‑line strength. Guidance & Results
• Negative Sentiment: Small EPS beat: The EPS beat was modest (+$0.01), which coupled with margin headwinds and guidance below consensus could temper investor enthusiasm. Earnings Summary

Ball Company Profile

Ball Corporation is a leading provider of sustainable aluminum packaging solutions and advanced aerospace technologies. Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, the company serves customers in the beverage, food and aerosol markets through a global network of manufacturing facilities. With an emphasis on sustainability and innovation, Ball designs and produces metal cans, bottles and ends that support recycling and reduce environmental impact.

The company’s packaging segment specializes in beverage cans for soft drinks, beer and energy drinks, as well as metal packaging for food and personal care applications.