Ball Q2 comparable EPS rises 14.4% to $1.03 on sales of $4.00 billion
Ball Corporation reported second quarter 2026 results on August 4, 2026, with comparable diluted earnings per share of $1.03, up 14.4% from 90 cents, and net sales of $4.00 billion, up from $3.34 billion. The company said it expects 2026 comparable diluted EPS growth of 10-plus percent and free cash flow greater than $900 million, and plans to return at least $800 million to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Operating cash flow was negative $169 million for the first six months of 2026.
Key points
- Comparable diluted EPS was $1.03 vs. 90 cents in Q2 2025; U.S. GAAP diluted EPS was 83 cents vs. 76 cents.
- Net sales rose to $4.00 billion from $3.34 billion; comparable operating earnings rose to $433 million from $402 million, up 7.7%.
- For 2026, Ball expects comparable diluted EPS growth of 10-plus percent and free cash flow greater than $900 million.
- Ball returned $222 million to shareholders in the first six months of 2026 and is on track to return at least $800 million in 2026.
The filing
Written by AI (Anthropic Claude, claude-haiku-5-5) on Nov 8, 2026, 1:11 AM ET, from the text of the filing and its press-release exhibits only. Written later: this filing was briefed after the fact, when past filings were added to the site, so the brief may be read with hindsight; the filing itself is the record of what was known on August 04, 2026.
Briefs are written by AI from the filing text (each brief's own page names the model) and can contain mistakes — open the filing before acting on anything. Impact (1-5) and tone are the model's reading of the filing for shareholders, not a price forecast. Not investment advice.