Broadleaf Partners LLC Sells 30,000 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Broadleaf Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 43.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,196 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30,000 shares during the quarter. Broadleaf Partners LLC’s holdings in Ball were worth $1,976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ball in the 3rd quarter valued at about $583,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in Ball by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 254,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,272,000 after purchasing an additional 11,731 shares during the last quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT grew its holdings in Ball by 73.7% during the third quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 46,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 19,776 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ball in the third quarter valued at approximately $464,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ball in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,682,000. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BALL opened at $62.20 on Friday. 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 $16.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.69.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. The company’s 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, research analysts predict that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Ball’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.10%.

Insider Activity at Ball

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 acquired at an average price of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at $888,818.78. The trade was a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BALL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Ball from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.46.

Ball 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.