A group of minority creditors to Ardagh is pushing back on the restructuring deal agreed by the packaging company and most of its debtholders https://t.co/FrqREuEy6S ...

Core Insights - Ball Corporation reported second-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 90 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 87 cents, and reflecting a 22% year-over-year improvement driven by higher volumes across all segments [1][9] - Total sales reached $3.34 billion, up from $2.96 billion in the same quarter last year, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.15 billion, with global aluminum packaging shipments increasing by 4.1% year over year [2][9] Financial Performance - The cost of sales was $2.69 billion, a 14.1% increase from the previous year, while gross profit totaled $648 million, up from $602 million, resulting in a gross margin of 19.4%, down from 20.3% year over year [3] - Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by 1.4% year over year to $137 million, with comparable segment operating earnings rising to $388 million from $360 million in the prior year [3] Segment Performance - Beverage Packaging North and Central America segment revenues increased by 9.8% year over year to $1.61 billion, with operating earnings of $208 million, down 1% year over year [4] - Beverage Packaging EMEA segment sales rose 19.3% year over year to $1.05 billion, with operating earnings growing by 14.2% to $129 million [5] - Beverage Packaging South America segment revenues increased by 13% year over year to $477 million, with operating earnings rising 37.8% to $51 million [6] Cash Flow and Debt - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of Q2 2025 were $0.29 billion, down from $1.35 billion a year earlier, with cash used in operating activities amounting to $0.33 billion in the first half of 2025 [7] - Long-term debt increased to $6.48 billion as of June 30, 2025, from $5.52 billion a year prior [7] Stock Performance - Ball Corporation's shares have declined by 6.8% over the past year, contrasting with the industry's growth of 0.7% [8]

Core Insights - Ball reported revenue of $3.34 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, reflecting a 12.8% increase year-over-year and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.15 billion by 5.86% [1] - The company's EPS for the quarter was $0.90, up from $0.74 in the same quarter last year, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.87 by 3.45% [1] Revenue Breakdown - Net Sales- Other: $198 million, slightly above the estimated $197.02 million, representing a 5.3% increase year-over-year [4] - Net Sales- Beverage packaging, EMEA: $1.05 billion, exceeding the estimate of $976.65 million, with a year-over-year growth of 19.3% [4] - Net Sales- Beverage packaging, South America: $477 million, above the estimated $450.71 million, showing a 13% increase compared to the previous year [4] - Net Sales- Beverage packaging, North and Central America: $1.61 billion, surpassing the estimate of $1.53 billion, with a 9.8% year-over-year growth [4] Comparable Operating Earnings - Comparable operating earnings for Beverage packaging, North and Central America were $208 million, slightly above the average estimate of $206.19 million [4] - Comparable operating earnings for Beverage packaging, South America were $51 million, exceeding the average estimate of $42.15 million [4] - Comparable operating earnings for Beverage packaging, EMEA were $129 million, above the average estimate of $120.25 million [4] - Comparable operating earnings for Other were $8 million, significantly better than the average estimate of -$6.94 million [4] Stock Performance - Ball's shares have returned -1.4% over the past month, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite has increased by 1% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Q2 2025 Financial Performance - Net sales were $13 billion, down 1% as reported and constant currency [12] - Adjusted EBITDA reached $293 million, up 2% as reported and 3% on a constant currency basis [12] - Adjusted EPS increased to $089, up 7% as reported and 10% in constant currency [12] - Adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 70 bps to 219%, driven by productivity savings, but offset by unfavorable net price realization and lower volumes [16] Segment Performance - Food Protective segment: Organic sales were flat, with adjusted EBITDA up 3% to $210 million and margin up 50 bps to 234% [17] - Protective segment: Organic sales decreased by 4%, with adjusted EBITDA down 5% to $78 million and margin down 30 bps to 178% [17] H1 2025 Financials - Net sales decreased by 3% to $2607 billion as reported, with a 2% organic decline due to lower volumes [37, 35] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 1% to $569 million as reported, and 3% on a constant currency basis [37, 36] - Free cash flow was $81 million, lower than the $207 million in H1 2024, due to higher incentive compensation and timing of tax payments [22, 44] Capital Allocation and Outlook - The company is targeting a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of approximately 30x by 2026 [21, 28] - The company maintains its 2025 outlook with net sales between $51 billion and $55 billion, adjusted EBITDA between $1075 billion and $1175 billion, and adjusted EPS between $290 and $330 [24]

Core Insights - Sealed Air Corporation reported second quarter 2025 financial results, showing a slight decline in net sales and earnings, but an increase in adjusted earnings and EBITDA, indicating resilience amid market pressures [2][3][5]. Financial Performance - Net sales for Q2 2025 were $1.335 billion, a decrease of 0.8% from Q2 2024, with the Food segment flat and the Protective segment down 3% [3][5]. - Net earnings were $94 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, down from $98 million, or $0.67 per diluted share in the prior year [5][34]. - Adjusted EBITDA increased to $293 million, representing 21.9% of net sales, compared to $285 million, or 21.2% in the prior year [6][30]. Segment Performance - The Food segment reported net sales of $896 million, flat year-over-year, with a slight volume decrease of 1% but a favorable price impact of 2% [8][27]. - The Protective segment saw net sales of $439 million, a decrease of 3%, with a 2% unfavorable price impact and a 2% volume decrease [9][27]. Cash Flow and Debt Management - Cash flow from operations for the first half of 2025 was $168 million, down 46.2% from $313 million in the prior year, primarily due to higher incentive compensation and tax payments [11][12]. - Free cash flow for the first half of 2025 was $81 million, a significant decrease from $207 million in the same period last year [12][25]. - Total debt as of June 30, 2025, was $4.3 billion, with net debt remaining stable at $4.0 billion [13][13]. Outlook - The company maintains its full-year guidance for 2025, projecting net sales between $5.1 billion and $5.5 billion, with adjusted EBITDA between $1.075 billion and $1.175 billion [14][14]. - The outlook reflects a cautious approach due to ongoing market pressures and shifts in consumer spending patterns [2][10].

Core Insights - Ball Corporation reported strong second quarter 2025 results, with net earnings of $212 million and diluted earnings per share of 76 cents, compared to $158 million and 51 cents in the same period of 2024 [3][12] - The company increased its full-year guidance for comparable diluted earnings per share growth to 12-15% due to a robust financial position and focused growth strategy [5][18] - Ball returned $1.13 billion to shareholders in the first half of 2025 and is on track to return at least $1.5 billion by year-end [12][17] Financial Performance - Second quarter 2025 net sales reached $3.34 billion, up from $2.96 billion in 2024, reflecting higher volume and price/mix [3][12] - Comparable net earnings for the second quarter were $249 million, or 90 cents per diluted share, compared to $232 million, or 74 cents per diluted share in 2024 [4][50] - The company reported a year-over-year increase in global aluminum packaging shipments of 4.1% in the second quarter [12] Segment Performance - Beverage Packaging, North and Central America, reported comparable operating earnings of $208 million on sales of $1.61 billion, compared to $210 million on sales of $1.47 billion in 2024 [7][8] - Beverage Packaging, EMEA, saw comparable operating earnings increase to $129 million on sales of $1.05 billion, up from $113 million on sales of $880 million in 2024 [9][10] - Beverage Packaging, South America, reported comparable operating earnings of $51 million on sales of $477 million, compared to $37 million on sales of $422 million in 2024 [13] Strategic Outlook - The company is focused on advancing sustainable aluminum packaging and enhancing operational efficiencies while managing costs [5][18] - Ball continues to assess the evolving trade landscape and its implications for business, emphasizing local sourcing and manufacturing to mitigate international trade fluctuations [16] - The company remains committed to returning value to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends, supported by strong free cash flow generation [17][18]

Core Insights - Amcor has shortlisted four innovative start-ups in its Amcor Lift-Off challenge aimed at addressing the Water Vapour Transmission Rate (WVTR) barriers for compostable substrates, including paper [1][2][3] Group 1: Amcor Lift-Off Challenge - The challenge focuses on finding effective solutions for moisture protection in compostable packaging materials [3] - The selected start-ups will undergo a rigorous evaluation process that may include technical trials and potential investment [3][4] - Amcor Lift-Off is designed to support early-stage start-ups working on breakthrough packaging technologies, offering selected companies the opportunity to collaborate with Amcor's technical teams and receive funding of up to $500,000 [4][5] Group 2: Innovation and Sustainability - Amcor emphasizes the importance of open innovation in accelerating progress within the packaging industry, aligning with its sustainability goals [4] - The initiative reflects Amcor's commitment to being a leading partner in packaging innovation and connecting with talented minds in the start-up ecosystem [5] Group 3: Company Overview - Amcor is a global leader in packaging solutions, focusing on responsible and sustainable packaging for consumer and healthcare products [6] - The company operates with approximately 70,000 employees across around 140 countries, leveraging its global capabilities to meet local customer needs [6]

Core Insights - Greif, Inc. will report its 2025 third quarter financial results on August 27, 2025, after market close [1] - A conference call to discuss the results will take place on August 28, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. ET [1][2] Company Overview - Greif is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, aiming to be the best customer service company in the world [4] - The company produces a variety of packaging products including steel, plastic, and fiber drums, intermediate bulk containers, and other specialty products [4] - Greif operates over 250 facilities in 37 countries, employing more than 14,000 colleagues to serve both global and regional customers [4]

Financial Performance - Q2 2025 - Loews Corporation's net income was $391 million, or $1.87 per share, compared to $369 million, or $1.67 per share in Q2 2024[14] - The company repurchased 3.0 million shares at a cost of $260 million since March 31, 2025[14] - Book value per share increased to $84.42 as of June 30, 2025, from $79.49 as of December 31, 2024[14] - Dividends from subsidiaries totaled $189 million in Q2 2025[14] - The parent company held $3.4 billion in cash and investments as of June 30, 2025[8, 14] Subsidiary Performance - Q2 2025 - CNA's net income attributable to Loews was $274 million, down from $291 million year-over-year[15, 27] - Boardwalk's net income attributable to Loews increased to $88 million from $70 million year-over-year[15, 30] - Loews Hotels' net income attributable to Loews decreased to $28 million from $35 million year-over-year[15, 32] CNA Financial Highlights - CNA's net written premiums increased to $2.846 billion in Q2 2025 from $2.674 billion in Q2 2024[27] - CNA's underlying combined ratio was 91.7% in Q2 2025, compared to 91.6% in Q2 2024[27] Boardwalk Pipeline Highlights - Boardwalk's operating revenue increased to $534 million in Q2 2025 from $477 million in Q2 2024[30] - Boardwalk's EBITDA was $274 million in Q2 2025, compared to $240 million in Q2 2024[30] Loews Hotels & Co Highlights - Loews Hotels & Co's revenue increased to $254 million in Q2 2025 from $251 million in Q2 2024[32] - Loews Hotels & Co's Adjusted EBITDA was $109 million in Q2 2025, compared to $98 million in Q2 2024[32]

Core Viewpoint - AptarGroup reported strong Q2 2025 earnings, with adjusted EPS of $1.66 exceeding estimates and GAAP revenue of $966 million surpassing forecasts, driven by margin improvement and sales growth in key segments despite macroeconomic uncertainties [1][2][5]. Financial Performance - Adjusted EPS for Q2 2025 was $1.66, up 18% from $1.41 in Q2 2024 [2] - GAAP revenue reached $966 million, a 6% increase from $910 million in the prior year [2] - Adjusted EBITDA was $218 million, reflecting a 13% year-over-year growth [2] - Adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 22.6%, up 1.4 percentage points from 21.2% in Q2 2024 [2] - Free cash flow was reported at $65.8 million, down 12.7% from $75.4 million in the previous year [2] Company Overview and Strategic Focus - AptarGroup specializes in packaging and dispensing systems for pharmaceuticals, beauty, food, and beverages, with products including nasal sprays and closures for food containers [3] - The company prioritizes innovation, regional manufacturing, and sustainability, focusing on R&D for advanced packaging solutions [4] Segment Performance - The Pharma segment accounted for 46% of sales, with a 7% revenue increase year-over-year and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 35.4% [5][8] - The Beauty segment saw a 4% revenue rise, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 14.1% [6] - The Closures segment reported an 8% sales growth, achieving an adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.9% [7][8] Innovation and Product Development - New product launches included proprietary drug delivery systems and recyclable dispensers, with a focus on localizing supply chains to mitigate trade risks [10] - The Active Material Science division experienced an 11% increase in core sales, driven by demand for advanced drug delivery solutions [5] Capital Allocation and Shareholder Returns - The company returned $100 million to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, with year-to-date returns totaling $210 million [11] - Ongoing investments in plant and equipment highlight the company's commitment to expansion and operational improvement [11] Outlook - For Q3 2025, management projects adjusted EPS between $1.53 and $1.61, indicating flat performance compared to Q3 2024 [12] - Anticipated challenges include normalizing sales of naloxone and elevated cough and cold inventory in Europe [12] - The company continues to focus on sustainable packaging solutions to meet industry demands [13]