Ball Corporation $BALL Shares Purchased by Danske Bank A S

Danske Bank A S raised its stake in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 117,425 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,200 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S’s holdings in Ball were worth $6,220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BALL. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 worth $73,746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230,791 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its position 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 worth $62,949,000 after acquiring an additional 731,076 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position 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 worth $115,270,000 after acquiring an additional 730,462 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ball by 14.9% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,651,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,521,000 after acquiring an additional 602,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position 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 worth $193,003,000 after acquiring an additional 455,089 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of Ball stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the purchase, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction of $710,275.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,450,118.36. This trade represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Ball Price Performance

Shares of BALL stock opened at $60.96 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.23 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Ball Corporation has a twelve month low of $44.83 and a twelve month high of $68.29.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Ball had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ball Corporation will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is 24.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BALL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Ball from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $66.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.33.

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.