Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Buys 40,593 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group increased its stake in Ball by 6.4% in Q4, buying 40,593 shares to hold 673,521 shares worth about $35.7 million (roughly 0.25% of the company).
• Ball beat quarterly expectations with $0.91 EPS (vs. $0.90 est.) and $3.35 billion revenue (vs. $3.11B est.), set FY2026 guidance of $3.93 EPS, while analysts project about $3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive—a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $69.07 and several firms raising targets (e.g., Truist $77, Jefferies $71)—and institutional investors own about 86.5% of the stock.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 673,521 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 40,593 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Ball worth $35,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BALL. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in shares of Ball by 297.0% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 802 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ball News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ball this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on BALL to $77 and kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly ~21.7% upside from the recent share level — a constructive analyst signal that can support buying interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple sports headlines about LaMelo Ball (Hornets) — including reports of an on‑court trip, fines, an apology, and viral postgame moments — are unrelated to Ball Corporation (the packaging/metal container maker). These stories may drive search-volume or short-term social-media noise but should not affect BALL’s fundamentals. Representative coverage: NBA review and fines. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup cut its price target on BALL to $73 — a downward revision that could temper upside expectations and weigh on sentiment among some investors. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup cut their price objective on Ball from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price objective on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ball news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of Ball stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,450,118.36. The trade was a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $888,818.78. The trade was a 12.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ball Trading Up 0.8%

BALL opened at $63.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $63.07 and a 200-day moving average of $55.39. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week high of $68.29.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.11 billion. Ball had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 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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