Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stake in Ball Corporation $BALL

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 283,628 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,417 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Ball were worth $14,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ball in the second quarter worth about $192,463,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ball by 1,465.3% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,314,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,746,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230,791 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions purchased a new stake in Ball during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,732,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Ball by 55.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,055,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,270,000 after purchasing an additional 730,462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Ball by 13.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ball

In related news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction of $710,275.80. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro bought 1,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 $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. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BALL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price target on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America raised shares of Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ball presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.46.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of BALL stock traded up $0.22 on Friday, hitting $61.91. 156,075 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,186,740. The company’s fifty day moving average is $61.14 and its 200 day moving average is $53.63. Ball Corporation has a 1-year low of $43.51 and a 1-year high of $68.29. The company has a market capitalization of $16.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.10%.

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.