Ball Corporation (BALL)
Ball Corporation is a global giant that makes the aluminium cans you see in every supermarket, helping brands package everything from fizzy drinks to beer.
Is Ball Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Ball Corporation is a global giant that makes the aluminium cans you see in every supermarket, helping brands package everything from fizzy drinks to beer.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Aluminium becomes the dominant global standard for sustainable packaging.
Technological shifts make aluminium cans obsolete or too expensive.
What does Ball Corporation do?
Ball Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of aluminium beverage packaging. Selling billions of infinitely recyclable cans to major drink companies brings in the money, with the business benefiting from the global shift away from plastic. Two things drive them: how well they manage aluminium costs, and whether consumers keep choosing cans over other types of packaging.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and value, and weakest on quality.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 1.2% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 16% over the year
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 17%)
- Momentum screens high (75/100)
- Dominant market position in a essential industry
- Products are infinitely recyclable, fitting modern environmental trends
- Strong earnings growth compared to the previous year
- Quality screens low (31/100)
- Fluctuations in global commodity prices
- Potential for new, cheaper packaging technologies to emerge
- Economic downturns reducing overall beverage consumption
What do Ball Corporation's numbers mean?
How much money does Ball Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Ball Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Ball Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 1.2% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does Ball Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Ball Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | $0.84 | $0.94 | Beat +11% |
| 2026-02-03 | $0.90 | $0.91 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-11-04 | $1.02 | $1.02 | In line |
| 2025-08-05 | $0.87 | $0.90 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-05-06 | $0.70 | $0.76 | Beat +9% |
| 2025-02-04 | $0.81 | $0.84 | Beat +4% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Ball Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Casey's General Stores, Inc.What are the scenarios for Ball Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Ball Corporation?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Dominant market position in a essential industry
- Products are infinitely recyclable, fitting modern environmental trends
- Strong earnings growth compared to the previous year
- Profit margins are relatively thin
- Highly dependent on the price of raw aluminium
- Business is sensitive to consumer spending habits
- Fluctuations in global commodity prices
- Potential for new, cheaper packaging technologies to emerge
- Economic downturns reducing overall beverage consumption
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant, sustained drop in the global price of plastic packaging
- A major shift in consumer preference away from canned beverages
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.