Ball Corporation BALL announced that it entered a joint venture named Oasis Venture Holdings, LLC with Ayna.AI. This partnership will fuel the development and expansion of BALL's Aluminum Cup business.

Ball Corp’s Ayna Partnership to Boost Growth

Headquartered in Rome, GA, the joint venture will look after the commercial, supply-chain and manufacturing operations of the Aluminum Cup business. Ball Corp will hold the minority interest of 49% in the joint venture, with Ayna holding the remaining 51%.

Ayna is a leading strategic advisory and implementation organization in industrial technology. Ayna's proven record in executing large-scale partnerships will provide the venture with critical operational expertise and strategic connections. With their specialized knowledge, Ayna will offer guidance, resources and category expertise to drive business growth through its innovative Engaged Investor Operator Model.

The venture will focus on expanding Aluminum Cup’s customer base while maintaining exceptional operational standards and customer service. This will position Ball Corp’s Aluminum Cup business for growth, market expansion and innovation.

BALL’s Focus on Expansion

In 2019, Ball Corp made a move to expand its offerings by introducing Aluminum Cup, creating a category in aluminum packaging. The company recognizes the long-term potential of the Aluminum Cup to transform the market's approach to single-use products and recycling while providing a premium consumer experience. 

This transition of ownership will not affect existing orders. BALL is dedicated to ensuring a seamless handover and maintaining uninterrupted supply to its valued customers.

Ball has a proven history of joint ventures to drive growth, with notable examples, including its glass business in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as Ball Metalpack.

Ball Corp’s Q4 Performance

The company reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings of 84 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 81 cents. The bottom line increased 8% year over year.

Total sales were $2.88 billion, a 0.8% dip from $2.90 billion (the figure is exclusive of the company's divested aerospace business) in the year-ago quarter. The top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.98 billion.

BALL Stock’s Price Performance

The company’s shares have lost 22.8% in the past year compared with the industry's 7.7% decline.

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Ball Corp’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks from the Industrial Products sector are Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. AIT, Enersys ENS and RBC Bearings Incorporated RBC. These three companies have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Applied Industrial has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIT’s 2025 earnings is pinned at $9.90 per share, which indicates year-over-year growth of 1.5%. The company’s shares have gained 15.8% in a year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Enersys’ fiscal 2025 earnings is pegged at $10.00 per share, which indicates year-over-year growth of 19.7%. The company has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 2.2%. ENS shares have gained 4.9% in a year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RBC Bearings’ fiscal 2025 earnings is pegged at $9.83 per share, which indicates year-over-year growth of 14%. The company has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 4.9%. RBC shares have gained 25.3% in a year.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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