For the quarter ended December 2025, Ball (BALL) reported revenue of $3.35 billion, up 16.2% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.91, compared to $0.84 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +7.59% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.11 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.90, the EPS surprise was +1.6%.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how Ball performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- Net Sales- Other: $171 million versus $203.25 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -14.5% change.
- Net Sales- Beverage packaging, EMEA: $971 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $901.9 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +17.6%.
- Net Sales- Beverage packaging, South America: $633 million compared to the $602.88 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +12.4% year over year.
- Net Sales- Beverage packaging, North and Central America: $1.57 billion versus $1.41 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +21.8% change.
- Comparable operating earnings- Beverage packaging, North and Central America: $159 million compared to the $160.08 million average estimate based on four analysts.
- Comparable operating earnings- Other: $-26 million versus $-9.69 million estimated by four analysts on average.
- Comparable operating earnings- Beverage packaging, South America: $127 million compared to the $114.91 million average estimate based on four analysts.
- Comparable operating earnings- Beverage packaging, EMEA: $123 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $114.58 million.
View all Key Company Metrics for Ball here>>>
Shares of Ball have returned +5.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.
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Ball Corporation (BALL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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