Swedbank AB Boosts Stake in Ball Corporation $BALL

Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 83.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 285,534 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 130,279 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Ball were worth $15,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ball by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,651,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,521,000 after purchasing an additional 602,137 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Ball by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,828,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,003,000 after buying an additional 455,089 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Ball by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,816,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,402,000 after buying an additional 79,700 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Ball by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,406,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,318,000 after buying an additional 351,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Ball by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,141,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,969,000 after buying an additional 29,586 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total value of $710,275.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,450,118.36. This trade represents a 22.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of Ball stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $888,818.78. This represents a 12.69% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on BALL. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $73.00 target price on shares of Ball and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.64.

Ball Price Performance

Ball stock opened at $58.58 on Friday. Ball Corporation has a 52-week low of $44.83 and a 52-week high of $68.29. The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.63. The firm has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. Ball had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The business had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.76 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Ball’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.12%.

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.