First Merchants Corp Raises Stock Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

First Merchants Corp raised its position in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 125.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 75,609 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 42,134 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Ball were worth $4,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in Ball by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 70,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its stake in Ball by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 20,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. purchased a new stake in Ball in the fourth quarter valued at $284,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Ball by 500.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 139,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,390,000 after purchasing an additional 116,294 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Ball by 666.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 139,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,366,000 after purchasing an additional 120,918 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Ball Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of BALL opened at $60.79 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.11. Ball Corporation has a 1 year low of $43.51 and a 1 year high of $68.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.18 billion, a PE ratio of 18.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Ball Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Ball’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Ball from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ball

In other news, 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,450,118.36. This trade represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro bought 1,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 13,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $888,818.78. This trade represents a 12.69% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

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.