Verition Fund Management LLC Increases Position in Ball Corporation $BALL

Verition Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 151.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 308,851 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 185,890 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC owned 0.12% of Ball worth $16,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ball in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Ball in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Ball in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ball in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ball by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ball Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE BALL opened at $57.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.01. Ball Corporation has a 52-week low of $44.83 and a 52-week high of $68.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $58.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. Ball had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 18.69%. The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $73.00 target price on shares of Ball and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ball from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Ball from $74.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ball in a report on Friday, April 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ball presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.54.

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.