The food and beverages industry is an important part of the US economy. This sector makes up almost 5% of the United States’ GDP and 10% of the employment in the country. Annual sales of this industry amount to $1.4 trillion. The industry consists of 27,000 organisations and employs almost 1.5 million people. This industry has been more stable than any other manufacturing industry, despite having relatively low growth.
The trends in this industry have started shifting in recent years. Consumers have started to consume healthier, less packaged, organic foods. Consumption of fat, oils, meat has reduced among US consumers. They are also concerned about sustainability and are more inclined towards choosing eco-friendly, sustainable solutions to reduce food and other related waste. This includes sustainable packaging. There is a high demand for recyclable, eco-friendly packaging. Green packaging, locally and responsibly sourced materials, water and energy efficiencies are all factors that are considered by consumers while purchasing products.
Ardagh Group S.A. manufactures and supplies rigid packaging solutions primarily for the food and beverage industry all over the world. Ardagh Group is a leading supplier of value-added, infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging solutions for the world’s leading brands. The consistent pursuit of market-leading innovation, quality and customer service, backed by investment in our people and processes, has underpinned Ardagh’s rapid growth over the past two decades. The company operates in four segments- Metal Packaging Europe, Metal Packaging Americas, Glass Packaging Europe, and Glass Packaging North America.
The metal packaging products include aluminum and steel beverage cans; two-piece aluminum, two-piece tinplate, and three-piece tinplate food and specialty cans and a range of can ends, including easy-open and peelable ends. The company also offers proprietary and non-proprietary glass containers for various end-use categories, mainly food and beverage. It is also involved in glass engineering and mold manufacturing and repair activities. The company was formerly known as Ardagh Finance Holdings S.A. and changed its name to Ardagh Group S.A. in February 2017. The company was founded in 1932 and is based in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Ardagh Group S.A. is a subsidiary of ARD Finance S.A.
Stocks of Ardagh Group S.A. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol ‘ARD’. The NYSE: ARD stock at https://www.webull.com/quote/nyse-ard is currently traded for $15.20. Analysts have given it a consensus rating of ‘hold’ and have set a price target of $16.40, anticipating a potential upside of 7.9%. The company (NYSE: ARD) has a market cap of $283.63 million. The key competitors of Ardagh Group are Kaiser Aluminium, Avon Rubber, Essentra, Gorman-Rupp, etc. You can check free stock quotes at online stock trading platforms.
Disclaimer: The analysis information is for reference only and does not constitute an investment recommendation.