Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest climbed 20.8% in April to 6,282,457 shares (about 2.4% of shares sold short), with a days-to-cover ratio of roughly 3.2 days.
• Wall Street sentiment is a Moderate Buy (10 Buys, 5 Holds) with an average analyst target price of $69.33.
• Ball beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.91 vs. $0.90; revenue $3.35B, up 16.2% YoY), set FY2026 guidance at $3.93 EPS (analysts expect $3.95), and declared a $0.20 quarterly dividend (1.3% yield).

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,282,457 shares, a growth of 20.8% from the March 31st total of 5,199,326 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,955,585 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BALL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ball in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ball presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.33.

Ball Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE BALL opened at $60.28 on Thursday. Ball has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week high of $68.29. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $16.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.14.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Ball had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.The business had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.84 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ball will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Ball's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ball news, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of Ball stock in a transaction on 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 purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $888,818.78. This trade represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,772 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,450,118.36. This trade represents a 22.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ball

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ball in the fourth quarter worth approximately $178,025,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Ball by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,658,732 shares of the company's stock worth $299,749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,830,434 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC increased its position in shares of Ball by 242.9% in the fourth quarter. M&G PLC now owns 2,326,812 shares of the company's stock worth $123,321,000 after purchasing an additional 1,648,303 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ball by 1,465.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,314,786 shares of the company's stock worth $73,746,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Ball by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,886,681 shares of the company's stock worth $1,000,429,000 after acquiring an additional 999,690 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

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.

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