KBC Group NV Has $3.54 Million Stock Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its Ball Corporation stake by 31.3% in the first quarter, selling 27,282 shares and leaving it with 59,929 shares worth about $3.54 million.
• Ball beat quarterly expectations, reporting earnings of $0.94 per share on revenue of $3.60 billion, with revenue up 16.3% year over year.
• Analysts remain mostly positive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $70.85; Ball also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share.

KBC Group NV reduced its position in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 31.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,929 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,282 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Ball were worth $3,543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,295 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Ball by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,752 shares of the company's stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Ball by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 725 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ball by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 4,604 shares of the company's stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Ball by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 12,997 shares of the company's stock worth $785,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ball Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of BALL opened at $63.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.12. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.11. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week high of $68.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.98.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. Ball had a return on equity of 18.69% and a net margin of 6.86%.The business had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st 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 of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Ball's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Ball from $73.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ball from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ball from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Ball from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Ball from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.85.

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.

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.