Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for Ball Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research slightly cut Ball’s Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.99 from $1.00, while keeping its longer-term outlook constructive with FY2027 EPS at $4.53 and FY2028 EPS at $5.06.
• Ball’s most recent quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $0.94 versus the $0.85 consensus and revenue of $3.60 billion versus $3.34 billion expected. The company also raised its FY2026 guidance to 3.930 EPS.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive overall, with 10 Buy ratings and 3 Hold ratings and an average price target of $69.54. Ball also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, payable June 15, implying a 1.4% yield.

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for Ball in a report released on Thursday, May 28th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.99 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.00. The consensus estimate for Ball's current full-year earnings is $3.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ball's FY2027 earnings at $4.53 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.06 EPS.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last posted 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 analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ball in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Raymond James Financial set a $73.00 target price on shares of Ball and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Ball from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Ball from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.54.

Ball Trading Down 0.5%

BALL stock opened at $56.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ball has a twelve month low of $44.83 and a twelve month high of $68.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $59.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.47.

Institutional Trading of Ball

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BALL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Ball by 41.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,245 shares of the company's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,531 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ball by 402.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company's stock worth $4,356,000 after acquiring an additional 67,289 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Ball by 10.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ball in the second quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ball during the second quarter valued at about $696,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ball

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

Ball Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ball's dividend payout ratio is 23.12%.

About Ball

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.