Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 46,550 Shares of Ball Corporation $BALL

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its holdings in Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 114,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,550 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Ball were worth $5,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Ball Stock Up 0.4%

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

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02. Ball had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Ball’s 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Ball Corporation will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Ball’s dividend payout ratio is 32.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ball from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America raised shares of Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Citigroup upgraded Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $67.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ball from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Ball from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ball currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.83.

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.