BALL vs RBC: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
Last updated September 2026
Short answer
BALL and RBC are similarly sized, but BALL trades noticeably cheaper on forward earnings (13.88x vs 29.38x): the market is paying up for RBC's profile and pricing BALL more conservatively, or for faster growth. Which you prefer comes down to the drivers you believe, and whether adding either over-concentrates what you already own.
BALL vs RBC: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of September 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.
| Metric | BALL | RBC | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $16.62B | $15.47B | Size. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove. |
| Forward P/E | 13.88 | 29.38 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Trailing P/E | 17.99 | 48.29 | Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price. |
| Beta | 0.96 | 1.41 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 76% of range | 41% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 2.89 | 4.46 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Reading it: BALL is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.
Before you buy: how BALL and RBC affect your concentration
The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. BALL and RBC share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.
This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined BALL and RBC exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
What does Ball Corporation (BALL) do?
Ball Corporation makes aluminum containers: beverage cans for beer, soda, energy drinks, sparkling water and ready-to-drink cocktails, plus aluminum aerosol and slug packaging for personal care and household products. The business is organized around three regional segments (North and Central America, EMEA, and South America), and it sells into a customer base dominated by a handful of very large beverage companies. Economics are volume-driven and pass-through: aluminum cost is contractually indexed to customers in most contracts, so the swing factor is cans shipped, plant utilization, and the mix between standard and specialty (slim, sleek, tall) formats that carry better pricing. The company completed the sale of Ball Aerospace to BAE Systems for about $5.6B in early 2024, which removed a defense-technology business from the story and left a single-substrate packaging company with a very large pile of proceeds to deploy.
What does RBC Bearings Incorporated (RBC) do?
RBC Bearings Incorporated, founded in 1919 and headquartered in Oxford, Connecticut, manufactures highly engineered precision bearings, gearings, and essential components for demanding applications. It reports in two segments: Aerospace and Defense (bearings and precision parts for commercial aircraft, defense aircraft, and sea and ground defense platforms) and Industrial (bearings, gearings, and components used across diversified industrial machinery). Its products are often regulated or highly technical, requiring sophisticated design, testing, and manufacturing that create high switching costs once parts are qualified into a platform.
BALL vs RBC: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- BALL drivers: Substrate shift toward aluminum; Capital returns as the earnings lever.
- RBC drivers: Aerospace and defense upcycle; VACCO acquisition and space exposure.
Which fits which kind of investor
A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Customer concentration is real: a small number of very large beverage companies account for a disproportionate share of volume, which gives them contract leverage at renewal. For RBC, the stock trades at a rich valuation, with a trailing P/E in the low 60s and a forward P/E in the mid 30s, above its multi-year average, so any growth disappointment could pressure the shares.
BALL or RBC: which should you pick?
BALL vs RBC: the full fundamentals
BALL. Ball trades around 18x trailing earnings and roughly 12x EV/EBITDA on an enterprise value near $23.9B, a multiple that sits between a defensive staples supplier and a cyclical industrial. FY2025 revenue was about $13.2B with net income near $912M, so the trailing figures reflect a volume recovery rather than a step-change in pricing. Return on equity of roughly 17% is flattered by leverage: return on invested capital is closer to 8.7%, which is the more honest read on how much the underlying can business earns on the capital it deploys.
RBC. RBC Bearings closed fiscal 2026 (ended March 2026) with sales up about 14% and net income up about 23%, led by roughly 33% growth in Aerospace and Defense. The market values the company at a premium multiple that reflects high expectations for continued aerospace-driven growth. Figures are approximate and reflect data available as of July 2026.
Headline figures (approximate, August 2026): BALL shows revenue (ttm) ~$14.3B, net income (ttm) ~$947M, eps (ttm) ~$3.53, market cap ~$16.8B; RBC shows revenue (fy2026) ~$1.87 billion, net income (fy2026) ~$288 million, diluted eps (fy2026) ~$9.14, market cap ~$18 billion.
The bottom line: BALL vs RBC
BALL and RBC are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined BALL and RBC exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how BALL or RBC fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in Ball Corporation with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how BALL fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between BALL and RBC?
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Ball Corporation makes aluminum containers: beverage cans for beer, soda, energy drinks, sparkling water and ready-to-drink cocktails, plus aluminum aerosol and slug packaging for personal care and household products. RBC Bearings Incorporated, founded in 1919 and headquartered in Oxford, Connecticut, manufactures highly engineered precision bearings, gearings, and essential components for demanding applications. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is BALL or RBC the better stock?
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Neither is universally better; they suit different views and risk levels. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, BALL or RBC?
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On forward P/E (as of September 2026), BALL trades at 13.88x and RBC at 29.38x, so BALL is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both BALL and RBC?
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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of BALL vs RBC?
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BALL: Customer concentration is real: a small number of very large beverage companies account for a disproportionate share of volume, which gives them contract leverage at renewal. Leverage is the second issue, with roughly $7.6B of total debt and around $500M of cash, so refinancing at higher rates or a volume downturn compresses equity value faster than it compresses revenue. Aluminum tariffs, including US Section 232 duties, and volatile energy costs in Europe can outrun contractual pass-through timing, creating quarters where cost recovery lags. The business is also exposed to shifts in consumer beverage demand, including the possibility that GLP-1 medications reduce consumption of the sugared and alcoholic categories that fill many of its cans. Finally, industry overcapacity remains the recurring cyclical hazard: Ball cannot control whether competitors add lines, and utilization is what determines whether volume growth translates into margin. RBC: The stock trades at a rich valuation, with a trailing P/E in the low 60s and a forward P/E in the mid 30s, above its multi-year average, so any growth disappointment could pressure the shares. Commercial aerospace demand is cyclical and dependent on airframer build rates that have faced supply-chain and production challenges. The Industrial segment grew only in the low single digits and is exposed to broader manufacturing cycles. Acquisition-driven growth carries integration and leverage risk, and customer concentration in aerospace and defense programs ties results to a handful of large platforms and government budgets.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell BALL or RBC; figures are approximate and dated (as of September 2026). Verify current data before investing.