Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $62.8333.

Several research firms have issued reports on BALL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Ball from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ball in a report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America upgraded Ball from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, November 17th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Ball in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $63.00 target price on Ball and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Ball during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Ball during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Ball in the third quarter worth $26,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Ball by 145.0% in the second quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 517 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Ball Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BALL opened at $56.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Ball has a 12 month low of $43.51 and a 12 month high of $60.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $52.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.71.

Ball (NYSE:BALL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02. The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. Ball had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 17.89%. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ball will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Ball Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

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.