Ball Corporation (BLL - Free Report) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of metal packaging to the beverage, food, personal care and household products industries. It also supplies aerospace and other technologies and services to government and commercial customers.

Ball Corporation expects that its food and aerosol segment will benefit from cost savings associated with the West Virginia metal service center closure, and anticipated growth for aluminum aerosol products. Focus on meeting rising demand and effective management of invested capital base to drive EVA dollars will fortify its global packaging businesses.

The company remains on track with free cash flow, EVA dollar and earnings per share growth, as well as cost savings targets for 2017. Further, Ball Corporation’s multi-year value capture plans are on course. It will recognize majority of the $150 million of expected 2017 synergies in the second half of the year. Moreover, its cost-savings benefits in Brazil, including better operational performance, will likely boost its second-half performance.

Let’s have a quick look at the second-quarter 2017 earnings release of the company.

Estimate Trend & Surprise History

You should note that the earnings estimate revisions for Ball Corporation have remained stable prior to the earnings release. The Zacks Consensus Estimate currently stands at 55 cents for the second quarter.

As regards earnings surprise, Ball Corporation has outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the past 4 quarters, with an average beat of 5.61%.

Ball Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Ball Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Ball Corporation Quote

Earnings

Ball Corporation delivered adjusted earnings of 53 cents per share in the second-quarter 2017. Earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 55 cents.

Revenue

Ball Corporation beat revenues in the second quarter. The company posted revenues of $2.855 billion, which marginally surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues of $2.852 billion.

Key Stats

Ball Corporation reaffirmed its financial goals for 2017 and 2019. The company expects its comparable EBITDA will be $1.75 billion and free cash flow is estimated to be in excess of $850 million after capital spending of at least $500 million. The company remains on track to recognize at least $150 million of the targeted $300 million plus synergies in 2017. Its focus on accelerating actions to reap cost savings will benefit 2018 and beyond.

Zacks Rank

Currently, Ball Corporation has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could change following Ball Corporation’s earnings report which was just released.

Market Reaction

Ball Corporation’s shares were inactive following the release. It would be interesting to see how the market reacts to the results during the trading session today.