Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) Short Interest Update

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,516,246 shares, a decline of 22.3% from the January 29th total of 5,809,202 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,188,586 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 3,188,586 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BALL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ball from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ball has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.46.

Insider Transactions at Ball

In other Ball news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total value of $710,275.80. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ball

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BALL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ball during the 2nd quarter valued at about $192,463,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 47.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,658,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,830,434 shares during the period. M&G PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ball by 242.9% in the fourth quarter. M&G PLC now owns 2,326,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,321,000 after buying an additional 1,648,303 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ball by 1,465.3% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,314,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,746,000 after buying an additional 1,230,791 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Ball by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,886,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,000,429,000 after buying an additional 999,690 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ball Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE BALL traded down $1.17 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $65.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,654,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,393,198. Ball has a 12-month low of $43.51 and a 12-month high of $68.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The business’s 50-day moving average is $59.77 and its 200 day moving average is $53.17. The stock has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.10.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Ball had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.84 EPS. Ball’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 forecast that Ball will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.