Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ball (NYSE:BALL) Stock

Ball (NYSE:BALL) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $70.00 to $71.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 18.62% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Ball from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup cut their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Ball from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.40.

Ball Price Performance

BALL traded up $2.75 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.86. 1,566,600 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,316,735. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.11. Ball has a 12-month low of $44.83 and a 12-month high of $68.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.49. The company has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.06.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. Ball had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. Ball’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ball will post 3.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ball

In other news, SVP Fauze Villatoro acquired 1,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $64.51 per share, with a total value of $100,055.01. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 13,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $888,818.78. This represents a 12.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Kathleen Pitre sold 10,660 shares of Ball stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.63, for a total transaction of $710,275.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 36,772 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,450,118.36. The trade was a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Ball during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Ball during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Ball during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ball during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ball by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ball

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.