Westminster, Colorado-based Ball Corporation (BALL) is one of the world's leading suppliers of metal packaging to the beverage, personal care and household products industries. With a market cap of $15.9 billion, Ball’s operations span various countries in the Americas, Europe, Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.

The packaging giant is set to announce its fourth-quarter results before the market opens on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Ahead of the event, analysts expect Ball to report a non-GAAP profit of $0.82 per share, up 5.1% from $0.78 per share reported in the year-ago quarter. Furthermore, the company has surpassed Wall Street’s bottom-line projections in each of the past four quarters. Its adjusted EPS for the last reported quarter surged 9.6% year-over-year to $0.91, exceeding analysts’ estimates by 4.6%.

For the full fiscal 2024, BALL is expected to deliver an adjusted EPS of $3.15, up 8.6% from $2.90 in fiscal 2023. While in fiscal 2025, its earnings are expected to surge 13% year-over-year to $3.56 per share.

BALL stock prices have dropped 3.5% over the past year, substantially underperforming the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 22.1% gains and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLY) 27.4% surge during the same time frame.

Ball’s stock prices plummeted 7.7% after the release of its disappointing Q3 results on Oct. 31. Due to lower beverage packaging net sales in North and Central America, the company's overall net sales dropped 93-basis points year-over-year to $3.1 billion which missed Wall Street’s topline expectations by 2.8% making investors jittery. Furthermore, the company’s operating cash flows for the past three quarters have dropped to a negative $385 million from a positive $1.1 billion reported for the same period in the previous fiscal.

On a positive note, Ball has observed a slight adjusted margin expansion which led to a 5.7% year-over-year growth in comparable net earnings to $278 million.

The consensus opinion on BALL stock is moderately bullish, with an overall “Moderate Buy” rating. Of the 14 analysts covering the stock, six recommend “Strong Buy,” two advise “Moderate Buy,” and six suggest a “Hold” rating. Its mean price target of $70.08 indicates a 28.9% upside potential from current price levels.