Welch & Forbes LLC Has $4.14 Million Stock Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC cut its Ball Corporation stake by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 78,090 shares valued at about $4.14 million.
• Ball’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $0.94 versus $0.85 expected and revenue of $3.60 billion versus $3.34 billion estimated; the company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to 3.93 EPS.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on BALL, with multiple firms lifting price targets and the stock carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.54.

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL - Free Report) by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,090 shares of the company's stock after selling 35,911 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Ball were worth $4,136,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BALL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ball during the fourth quarter valued at about $178,025,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ball by 1,465.3% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,314,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,746,000 after buying an additional 1,230,791 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Ball by 141.3% during the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,248,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,949,000 after buying an additional 731,076 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Ball by 55.1% during 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 buying an additional 730,462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ball by 14.9% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,651,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,521,000 after buying an additional 602,137 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Ball News

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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $888,818.78. The trade was a 12.69% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of BALL stock opened at $54.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $14.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.12. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week high of $68.29. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $59.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.53.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.60 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ball Corporation will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Ball's payout ratio is currently 23.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BALL. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ball from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ball from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ball from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $73.00 price target on shares of Ball and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

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.