First Merchants Corp Increases Stock Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• First Merchants Corp increased its stake in Ball by 125.9% in Q4, owning 75,609 shares worth about $4.01 million, and institutional investors now hold roughly 86.51% of the stock.
• Ball beat Q4 expectations with $0.91 EPS vs. $0.90 est. and $3.35B revenue (up 16.2% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance around 3.93 EPS while analysts on average expect ~3.48 EPS.
• Ball pays a quarterly dividend of $0.20 ($0.80 annualized, ~1.3% yield) and carries a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $68.77, after several firms raised targets to the $70+ range.

First Merchants Corp raised its position in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 125.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,609 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 42,134 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp's holdings in Ball were worth $4,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Ball by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in shares of Ball by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Smith Moore & CO. grew its stake in Ball by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 12,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $687,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Ball by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 118,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,960,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its holdings in Ball by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 20,223 shares of the company's stock worth $1,075,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ball Price Performance

Ball stock opened at $60.79 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Ball Corporation has a 52-week low of $43.51 and a 52-week high of $68.29.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Ball had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Ball's payout ratio is currently 24.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BALL. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ball in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ball from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.77.

Insider Activity at Ball

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total value of $710,275.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,450,118.36. This represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro purchased 1,551 shares of the business's 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 acquisition, the senior vice president owned 13,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $888,818.78. The trade was a 12.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Ball 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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