Billionaire David Tepper’s 10 Small and Midcap Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential

7. Ball Corporation (NYSE:BALL)

Appaloosa Management LP’s Stake: $64 Million      

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL) is a new addition to the 13F portfolio of Appaloosa Management LP. The fund disclosed a stake in the company comprising 1.2 million shares in filings for the fourth quarter of 2025. The company supplies aluminum packaging products for the beverage, personal care, and household products industries in the United States, Brazil, and internationally. It manufactures and sells aluminum beverage containers to fillers of carbonated soft drinks, beer, energy drinks, and other beverages. It also sells extruded aluminum aerosol containers, recloseable aluminum bottles, aluminum cups, and aluminum slugs.

A major catalyst for hedge fund interest in Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL) stock is the $5.6 billion sale of Ball’s Aerospace business to BAE Systems. The proceeds allow Ball to significantly pay down debt, moving toward a much cleaner balance sheet. The sale has also turned Ball into a pure-play leader in sustainable aluminum packaging. Institutional investors view Ball as a primary beneficiary of global ESG shifts. As beverage giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo face pressure to reduce single-use plastics, they are shifting toward aluminum. Following its restructuring, the company authorized a multi-billion dollar buyback program. For hedge funds, this is a signal of management’s confidence that the stock is undervalued. Ball has a long-range history of consistent dividend payments, making it a staple for dividend aristocrat and value-oriented institutional portfolios.