Raymond James Financial Upgrades Ball (NYSE:BALL) to Moderate Buy

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial upgraded Ball (NYSE:BALL) from a "hold" to a "Moderate Buy" in a research note issued Tuesday.
• Analyst coverage is positive overall—ten analysts rate the stock a Buy and five rate it a Hold—giving Ball a consensus price target of $69.33.
• Ball topped quarterly estimates (EPS $0.91 vs. $0.90; revenue $3.35B vs. $3.11B), with revenue up 16.2% YoY, and set FY2026 guidance of 3.930 EPS versus analysts' ~3.95 estimate.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Raymond James Financial from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports.

BALL has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Ball in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Ball from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ball presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Ball Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BALL opened at $63.33 on Tuesday. Ball has a twelve month low of $44.83 and a twelve month high of $68.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $62.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.75.

Ball (NYSE:BALL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. Ball had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.84 EPS. Ball's revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ball will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ball

In other Ball news, SVP Fauze Villatoro bought 1,551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $888,818.78. This trade represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the company'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 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ball

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BALL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings 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 increased its holdings in shares of Ball by 402.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,356,000 after purchasing an additional 67,289 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ball by 10.6% in the 1st 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 period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ball in the 2nd quarter valued at about $453,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ball in the second quarter worth approximately $696,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% 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.

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.