Ball Corporation BALL is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 4, before the opening bell.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BALL’s net sales is pegged at $3.67 billion, indicating 9.8% growth from the year-ago reported figure. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at 99 cents per share, which has moved up 1% in the past 60 days. The estimate indicates year-over-year growth of 10%.
BALL’s Solid Earnings Surprise History
Ball Corp.’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.79%.
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What the Zacks Model Unveils for Ball Corp.
Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Ball Corp. this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. That is the case here, as you can see below.
You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Earnings ESP: Ball Corp. has an Earnings ESP of +0.98%.
Zacks Rank: BALL currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Factors Likely to Have Shaped BALL’s Q2 Performance
Ball Corp.’s global aluminum packaging shipments increased 0.8% year over year in first-quarter 2026, driven by low-single-digit growth in North and Central America and EMEA, partly offset by a mid-single-digit decline in South America. Management noted that enterprise volumes accelerated to the mid-single digits in April, with South America posting a 20% year-over-year increase, marking a sharp turnaround from the first-quarter decline.
For full-year 2026, the company expects enterprise volumes to trend toward the upper end of its long-term 2-3% growth range. North and Central America volumes are expected to remain near the lower end of the 1-3% range due to capacity constraints, while EMEA is projected to exceed its 3-5% target, supported by the acquisition of a majority stake in European beverage can manufacturer Benepack. South America volumes are expected to grow 4-6% for the year.
Our second-quarter 2026 estimate for the Beverage Packaging, North and Central America segment’s net sales is pegged at $1.66 billion, indicating a 2.8% year-over-year rise. We expect the segment’s volume to increase 0.8% year over year. We expect a 4% year-over-year increase in the segment’s operating income to $225 million.
Our model predicts the Beverage Packaging, EMEA segment’s sales to be around $1.2 billion, indicating 8.1% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. We expect volume growth of 6.1% for this segment. The segment’s operating income is projected at $161.2 million, indicating 6% year-over-year growth.
For the Beverage Packaging, South America segment, we estimate net sales of $588.9 million, up 23.5% year over year. Shipment volumes are expected to surge 20.4%, representing a significant rebound from the 2.6% decline recorded in the first quarter and aligning with management's commentary on improving demand. The consensus estimate for the segment’s operating income is pegged at $53 million, indicating a 5.9% rise from the year-ago quarter’s actual.
Ball Corp. is likely to have faced higher input costs during the quarter due to tariff-related pressures. However, stronger shipment volumes, favorable revenue growth, ongoing cost-reduction initiatives, and continued productivity and efficiency improvements are expected to have largely offset these headwinds, supporting margin expansion in the quarter.
BALL Stock’s Price Performance
The company’s shares have gained 15% in the past year compared with the industry's 12.1% growth.
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How Did Ball Corp.’s Peers Fare in Q2?
Crown Holdings, Inc. CCK reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share, up 15.8% year over year. The figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.15 by 15.81%. Including one-time items, the company reported earnings of $2.23 per share in the quarter under review compared with $1.56 in the year-ago quarter.
Crown Holdings’ net sales increased 16.5% to $3.67 billion and beat the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion by 9.88%. Global beverage can volumes rose 5%, led by 6% growth in Europe and 5% growth in the Americas. This was partially offset by softer demand in Latin America. Crown Holdings increased its full-year adjusted earnings guidance to $8.30-$8.50 per share from the previously mentioned $7.90-$8.30.
Silgan Holdings SLGN reported adjusted earnings per share of 98 cents in the second quarter of 2026, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 96 cents. This marked a 3% decline from earnings of $1.01 per share in the year-ago quarter. Including one-time items, the company reported earnings of 72 cents per share in the quarter under review compared with 83 cents in the second quarter of 2025.
Silgan Holdings posted revenues of $1.64 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.62 billion by 1.54%. This compares with year-ago revenues of $1.54 billion. Silgan maintained its guidance for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $3.73-$3.93 for 2026, a 3% year-over-year increase at the midpoint.
Another Stock to Consider
Here is one Industrial Products stock, which according to our model, also has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in its upcoming release.
Ferguson Enterprises Inc. FERG, slated to release second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 10, has an Earnings ESP of +1.22% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ferguson’s second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.23 per share. Ferguson has a trailing four-quarter average surprise of 6.5%.
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Ball Corporation (BALL): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).