Iridian Asset Management LLC CT Increases Stake in Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Iridian Asset Management raised its stake in Ball by 163.5% in Q4 to 122,835 shares (worth about $6.51M), making Ball ~2.4% of Iridian's holdings and its 13th largest position.
• Insider activity was notable: SVP Fauze Villatoro bought 1,551 shares at $64.51 (~$100k) while SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares at $66.63 (~$710k), with insiders owning roughly 0.58% of the stock.
• Analysts are broadly positive—Deutsche Bank initiated coverage with a buy and $72 target, the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $69 price target—and Ball slightly beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.91 vs $0.90; revenue $3.35B vs $3.11B) while providing FY2026 guidance around 3.93 EPS.

Iridian Asset Management LLC CT raised its stake in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 163.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 122,835 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 76,211 shares during the quarter. Ball comprises approximately 2.4% of Iridian Asset Management LLC CT's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT's holdings in Ball were worth $6,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Ball during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Ball during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Ball during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ball by 4,236.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 824 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in shares of Ball by 297.0% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 802 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Fauze Villatoro purchased 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, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at $888,818.78. This represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owned 36,772 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,450,118.36. This represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BALL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ball in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ball has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Ball Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of BALL opened at $62.26 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $16.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $63.00 and a 200 day moving average of $55.08. Ball Corporation has a 52-week low of $44.83 and a 52-week high of $68.29. 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 (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Ball had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.Ball's revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

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

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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