Welch & Forbes LLC Cuts Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Welch & Forbes LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 29.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,550 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Ball were worth $5,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its holdings in shares of Ball by 145.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ball by 4,236.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Ball during the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Ball during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Ball by 103.2% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BALL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Ball from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup raised Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ball from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Ball from $68.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.83.

Ball Price Performance

BALL opened at $56.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Ball Corporation has a 12-month low of $43.51 and a 12-month high of $60.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.72 and a 200-day moving average of $51.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.08, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.14.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.02. Ball had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The business had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

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.