Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Sells 75,923 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management cut its Ball Corp. stake by 67.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 75,923 shares and leaving it with 37,119 shares worth about $1.97 million.
• Ball reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.94 versus the $0.85 estimate and revenue of $3.60 billion versus $3.34 billion expected. Revenue rose 16.3% year over year, and the company reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance at 3.930 EPS.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, payable June 15, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a target price of $69.54.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. cut its holdings in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 67.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,119 shares of the company's stock after selling 75,923 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Ball were worth $1,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Ball during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Ball during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Ball during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in Ball by 297.0% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 802 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Ball during the second quarter worth about $46,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ball

In other Ball news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the business's 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 transaction, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro bought 1,551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the completion of 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ball Stock Up 0.1%

BALL opened at $56.57 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.06. Ball Corporation has a twelve month low of $44.83 and a twelve month high of $68.29. The company's 50-day moving average price is $59.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.37.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. Ball had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Ball's payout ratio is presently 23.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on BALL. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price target on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Ball from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ball from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Ball from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.54.

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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