COMPARE · Reviewed August 3, 2026
BALL vs IP
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. BALL scored 57.3, IP scored 56.3 — BALL leads.
Compare another set
BALL
Ball Corporation
57.3
$65.15 · $17.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
1.0
BALL leads
IP
International Paper Company
56.3
$41.45 · $21.9B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
BALL
stronger →← stronger
IP
63
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
52
74
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
82
40
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
42
IP is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
BALL
IP
$596mC+
FCF
$553mC+
+13.7%B+
Rev
+41.6%A
1.46C+
D/E
0.67B+
19.0xB
P/E
—
1.37B
PEG
1.58C+
—
P/S
0.9xB+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
BALL
IP
53% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
55% above
~19%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~26%/yr
-43%
1-yr DCF upside
-51%
-35%
5-yr DCF upside
-35%
-22%
10-yr DCF upside
-3%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
BALL
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
IP
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
BALLBall Corporation
Why now
Packaging & Containers · market cap $17.3b. 5% off the 52-week high of $68.29. Revenue growing +14%, comfortably above the S&P median. 14 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $71.14 (implying +9% upside).
Moat
ROE 17% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
IPInternational Paper Company
Why now
Packaging & Containers · market cap $21.9b. 18% off the 52-week high of $50.25. Revenue growing +42% — in hypergrowth territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $47.45 (implying +14% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Currently unprofitable (margin -13.8%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Dividend payout 158% of earnings on a 4.5% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. ROE -23% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.