Ethic Inc. Has $1.14 Million Stake in Ball Corporation $BALL

Ethic Inc. reduced its position in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 38.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,587 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,359 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Ball were worth $1,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Ball in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Ball in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in Ball by 297.0% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Ball during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ball

In other news, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at $888,818.78. This represents a 12.69% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total value of $710,275.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,450,118.36. The trade was a 22.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Ball from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Ball from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Ball from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ball from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.54.

Ball Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of BALL opened at $56.44 on Thursday. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week high of $68.29. The firm has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.87. 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 (NYSE:BALL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. Ball had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Ball’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.12%.

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.