Ball Corporation BALL is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 5, before the opening bell.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BALL’s net sales is pegged at $3.27 billion, indicating 5.7% growth from the year-ago reported figure. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at 85 cents per share, which has been moved down by 2.3% in the past 60 days. The estimate indicates year-over-year growth of 11.8%.
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 3.7%.
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What the Zacks Model Unveils for Ball Corp.
Our model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for BALL 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 not 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 +0.18%.
Zacks Rank: BALL currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Factors Likely to Have Shaped BALL’s Q1 Performance
Ball Corp.’s fourth-quarter global shipment volumes were up 6% and full-year growth was reported at 4.1%. In the North American business, full-year volumes were up 4.8% in 2025, led by continued strength in energy drinks and nonalcoholic beverages. The company expects to deliver volume growth at the low end of its expected long-term 1-3% range for 2026.
Our estimate for the Beverage packaging, North and Central America segment’s net sales is pegged at $1.51 billion for the first quarter of 2025, indicating a 3.3% year-over-year rise. We expect the segment’s volume to increase 2.5% year over year. We anticipate an 4% year-over-year decline in the segment’s operating income to $187 million.
In EMEA, following 5.5% growth in volumes in 2025, Ball Corp. projects growth above the top end of its long-term 3-5% range. This will be supported by the recent acquisition of the majority stake in European beverage can manufacturer, Benepack. Our model predicts the Beverage Packaging, Europe segment’s sales to be around $983 million, indicating 8.8% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. We expect volume growth of 8% for this segment. The segment’s operating income is projected at $90.9 million, indicating a 5.3% year-over-year dip.
In South America, volumes in 2025 were up 4.2%, and the company expects to drive volume growth near the lower end of its 4-6% long-term range in 2026. We expect the Beverage Packaging, South America segment’s net sales to be $580.6 million, indicating 6.7% growth from the year-ago period’s reported level. Our model predicts a volume increase of 6.5% for the segment. The consensus estimate for the segment’s operating income is pegged at $66.7 million, indicating a 3.3% dip from the year-ago quarter’s actual.
However, the company is expected to have witnessed higher costs due to tariff-related costs. Nevertheless, higher revenues owing to improved volumes, ongoing cost-reduction initiatives and efforts to improve efficiency and productivity are expected to have offset tariff headwinds and led to higher margins for the company.
BALL Stock’s Price Performance
The company’s shares have gained 19.2% in the past year compared with the industry's 2.3% growth.
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Other Stocks to Consider
Here are a few Industrial Products stocks, which according to our model, also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases.
Kennametal KMT, scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 6, has an Earnings ESP of +5.88% and a Zacks Rank of 1 at present.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kennametal’s earnings for the first quarter of 2026 is pegged at 68 cents per share, indicating 44.7% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. Kennametal has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 35.4%.
AGCO AGCO, scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 5, currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.75% and a Zacks Rank of 3.
AGCO’s earnings for the quarter are pegged at 44 cents per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 7%. The company has delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 329.6%.
Eaton ETN, scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 5, has an Earnings ESP of +0.54% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Eaton’s earnings for the first quarter of 2026 is pegged at $2.74 per share, indicating 0.7% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. Eaton has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 0.53%.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).