Ball Corporation $BALL Shares Bought by Swedbank AB

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in Ball Corporation by 83.9% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 130,279 shares and bringing its holdings to 285,534 shares worth about $15.1 million.
• Ball recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.94 versus the $0.85 estimate and revenue of $3.60 billion, up 16.3% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, and analysts remain constructive overall, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.64.

Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 83.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 285,534 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 130,279 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned 0.11% of Ball worth $15,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ball during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Ball during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Ball during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of Ball by 297.0% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 802 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Ball during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ball Stock Performance

Ball stock opened at $58.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.63. Ball Corporation has a 1-year low of $44.83 and a 1-year high of $68.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.06.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ball's dividend payout ratio is 23.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BALL. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ball from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Ball from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction 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 approximately $2,450,118.36. This trade represents a 22.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at $888,818.78. This trade represents a 12.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.58% 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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