Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) Short Interest Down 22.3% in February

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) was the target of a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,516,246 shares, a drop of 22.3% from the January 29th total of 5,809,202 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,188,586 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,188,586 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BALL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Ball by 41.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 1,531 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ball by 402.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,356,000 after acquiring an additional 67,289 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Ball by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ball in the 2nd quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Ball by 133.1% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 4,074 shares in the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BALL. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 price objective on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ball from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ball in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Ball in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Ball from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.46.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of BALL opened at $65.88 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $17.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.10. Ball has a 12 month low of $43.51 and a 12 month high of $68.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $59.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.00.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Ball had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 6.93%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 EPS. Ball has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.930- EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ball will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ball Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Ball’s payout ratio is presently 24.10%.

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.