Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 9,931 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 86.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,457 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,931 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Ball were worth $1,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Ball during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Ball during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Ball during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in Ball by 297.0% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Ball during the second quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ball

In other news, SVP Fauze Villatoro purchased 1,551 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at $888,818.78. This trade represents a 12.69% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the firm’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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,450,118.36. This represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ball from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price objective on Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ball has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.54.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of BALL opened at $56.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $59.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.47. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week high of $68.29. The stock has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.06.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. Ball had a return on equity of 18.69% and a net margin of 6.86%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.76 EPS. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ball’s payout ratio is currently 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.