Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 684,949 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,154,119 shares of the company’s stock after selling 684,949 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.81% of Ball worth $1,621,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the 3rd quarter valued at about $583,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in shares of Ball by 4.8% during the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 254,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,272,000 after acquiring an additional 11,731 shares during the last quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 73.7% in the third quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 46,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 19,776 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ball in the third quarter valued at approximately $464,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in Ball during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,682,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ball Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE BALL opened at $66.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $17.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.57. Ball Corporation has a 12-month low of $43.51 and a 12-month high of $68.29.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Ball had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.84 earnings per share. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.10%.

Key Stories Impacting Ball

Here are the key news stories impacting Ball this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several mid/long‑range targets (notably FY‑2027 and some late‑2027 quarter estimates), signaling confidence in Ball’s longer‑term earnings trajectory — a bullish read for growth expectations. Zacks raises FY‑2027/FY‑2028 estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published updated multi‑year model outputs (including a FY‑2028 EPS projection of $4.96). These provide a roadmap for future earnings but don’t change near‑term cash flow—useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Zacks issues FY‑2028 estimate
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed several near‑term quarterly EPS estimates across Q1–Q3 2026 and into 2027 (examples include reductions to Q1/Q2/Q3 outlooks and a lower FY‑2026 view), which can pressure short‑term sentiment and valuation multiple. These downward revisions explain some investor caution despite the longer‑range upgrades. Zacks cuts near‑term EPS estimates

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 17th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ball from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.46.

About Ball

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.