Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Raises Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management increased its stake in Ball Corporation by 70% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 86,787 shares valued at about $4.6 million.
• Ball reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.94 versus $0.85 expected and revenue of $3.60 billion versus $3.34 billion expected, while revenue rose 16.3% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share and Wall Street remains constructive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.54.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 70.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,787 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,749 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Ball were worth $4,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BALL. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ball by 1,465.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,314,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230,791 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 141.3% in the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,248,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,949,000 after purchasing an additional 731,076 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 55.1% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,055,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,270,000 after purchasing an additional 730,462 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 14.9% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,651,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,521,000 after purchasing an additional 602,137 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 13.5% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,828,298 shares of the company's stock valued at $193,003,000 after purchasing an additional 455,089 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of BALL opened at $56.44 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $60.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.06. Ball Corporation has a 12-month low of $44.83 and a 12-month high of $68.29.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $3.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. Ball had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The company's revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Ball's payout ratio is currently 23.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ball in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Ball and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price objective for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the business'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 of the company's stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the transaction, 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. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Ball Company 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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