Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $7.37 Million Stock Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 666.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,053 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 120,918 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.05% of Ball worth $7,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Ball during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Ball in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Ball during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in Ball by 4,236.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 805 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Ball during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BALL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ball from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ball from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.77.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of the 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 directly owned 36,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,450,118.36. This represents a 22.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares in the company, valued at $888,818.78. This represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Ball Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:BALL opened at $59.30 on Friday. Ball Corporation has a twelve month low of $43.51 and a twelve 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $62.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.28. The company has a market cap of $15.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.10.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share. The firm’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, analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS 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 dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Ball’s payout ratio is 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.