Ball (NYSE:BALL) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $67.53 and last traded at $67.5050, with a volume of 611956 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $66.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BALL shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Ball from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho raised their target price on Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ball from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ball presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.46.

Ball Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.94. The firm has a market cap of $18.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Ball had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 6.93%.The company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Ball’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Ball by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 88,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,702,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc grew its stake in shares of Ball by 110.9% in the fourth quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 10,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $582,000 after acquiring an additional 5,777 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ball during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $178,025,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in Ball during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,440,000. Finally, National Pension Service grew its position in Ball by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 97,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,170,000 after purchasing an additional 16,303 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.