Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 62,038 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Russell Investments boosted its stake in Ball Corporation by 9.9%, buying 62,038 shares to own 688,825 shares (about 0.26%) valued at roughly $34.72 million per its SEC filing.
• Ball beat estimates this quarter with $0.91 EPS (vs. $0.90 expected) and $3.35 billion in revenue, up 16.2% year-over-year; it set FY2026 guidance at 3.930 EPS and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $68.46.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized $0.80, ~1.3% yield), while insider activity was mixed—an SVP sold 10,660 shares and another SVP bought 1,551 shares.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 688,825 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 62,038 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.26% of Ball worth $34,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 41.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ball by 402.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company's stock worth $4,356,000 after purchasing an additional 67,289 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ball in the second quarter valued at about $453,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ball in the second quarter valued at about $1,237,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Ball Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Ball stock opened at $61.49 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.57. Ball Corporation has a 1 year low of $43.51 and a 1 year high of $68.29.

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 analysts' expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. Ball's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BALL shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America raised shares of Ball from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $61.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ball in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.46.

Insider Activity at Ball

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total value of $710,275.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,450,118.36. This represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $888,818.78. This represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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