Ball Corporation $BALL Stake Lessened by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. cut its stake in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 490,924 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74,651 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.18% of Ball worth $24,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Ball by 41.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ball by 402.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,356,000 after purchasing an additional 67,289 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Ball by 10.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ball in the second quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ball in the second quarter valued at about $1,237,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ball

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction of $710,275.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.51 per share, for a total transaction of $100,055.01. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $888,818.78. This trade represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on BALL. Bank of America raised Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ball from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.46.

Ball Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:BALL opened at $62.50 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $60.43 and a 200-day moving average of $53.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.10. Ball Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.51 and a 52 week high of $68.29.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Ball had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.The business’s revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. Analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Ball’s payout ratio is 24.10%.

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.