Franklin Resources Inc. Has $284.61 Million Stock Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Franklin Resources Inc. cut its stake in Ball by 18.5% in the quarter and now owns 5,644,517 shares (about 2.11%) valued at approximately $284.61 million.
• Ball slightly beat the quarter with EPS $0.91 versus $0.90 expected and revenue of $3.35 billion (up 16.2% year‑over‑year); the company set FY2026 guidance near 3.93 EPS while sell‑side analysts average about 3.48 EPS.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $68.46; several firms have raised targets (e.g., Truist to $75), and the street breakdown is eight Buys and six Holds.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its stake in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,644,517 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,285,401 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 2.11% of Ball worth $284,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Ball by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,245 shares of the company's stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 1,531 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ball by 402.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,356,000 after acquiring an additional 67,289 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Ball by 10.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ball in the second quarter valued at about $453,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ball in the second quarter valued at about $1,237,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ball from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ball currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.46.

Insider Activity at Ball

In other news, SVP Fauze Villatoro purchased 1,551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of Ball stock in a transaction dated 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 $2,450,118.36. The trade was a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Ball Price Performance

Ball stock opened at $61.64 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.11. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.51 and a 52 week high of $68.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.14 and a 200-day moving average of $53.63.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. Ball's revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Ball's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.10%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BALL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report).

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.