Legal & General Group Plc Sells 271,452 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc cut its Ball Corporation stake by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 271,452 shares and leaving it with 1,544,402 shares worth about $81.8 million.
• Ball reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $0.94 versus the $0.85 estimate and revenue of $3.60 billion, up 16.3% year over year. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance and continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on BALL, with 10 Buy ratings and 3 Hold ratings and a consensus price target of $69.54. Recent notes from JPMorgan, Raymond James, and Truist all pointed to improving outlooks or higher targets.

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its stake in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,544,402 shares of the company's stock after selling 271,452 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.58% of Ball worth $81,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Ball by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 262,973 shares of the company's stock worth $13,930,000 after purchasing an additional 97,264 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new stake in Ball in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,570,000. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its holdings in Ball by 276.5% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 35,654 shares of the company's stock worth $1,889,000 after purchasing an additional 26,184 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp lifted its holdings in Ball by 125.9% in the 4th quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 75,609 shares of the company's stock worth $4,005,000 after purchasing an additional 42,134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AIA Group Ltd acquired a new stake in Ball in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $618,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ball

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of Ball stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction of $710,275.80. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the acquisition, 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BALL shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ball from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ball from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Raymond James Financial set a $73.00 price target on Ball and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Ball from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ball in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.54.

Key Headlines Impacting Ball

Here are the key news stories impacting Ball this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for Ball to $4.53 from $4.51, suggesting slightly better expected profitability over the next couple of years.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its FY2028 EPS estimate to $5.06 from $5.02 and also lifted its Q1 2028 estimate to $1.28 from $1.26, indicating stronger long-term earnings expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ball said it will present at Wells Fargo’s 16th Annual Industrials & Materials Conference on June 10, 2026, which keeps the company in front of institutional investors but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed its Q4 2026 EPS estimate slightly to $0.99 from $1.00, a small cut that may temper enthusiasm around near-term earnings.

Ball Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BALL opened at $54.53 on Friday. Ball Corporation has a 1-year low of $44.83 and a 1-year high of $68.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.06. The business's 50 day moving average is $59.40 and its 200-day moving average is $57.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. Ball had a return on equity of 18.69% and a net margin of 6.86%.The company had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. Ball'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Ball's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.12%.

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.

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.