Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of Century Aluminum from $37.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Century Aluminum presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.00.

Century Aluminum Price Performance

NASDAQ CENX opened at $51.84 on Friday. Century Aluminum has a 52 week low of $13.05 and a 52 week high of $55.61. The stock has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 129.60 and a beta of 2.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $45.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25. The firm had revenue of $633.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.63 million. Century Aluminum had a return on equity of 5.55% and a net margin of 1.65%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.19, for a total value of $7,228,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 292,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,099,430.20. This trade represents a 33.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CENX. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the second quarter valued at about $641,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the third quarter worth $942,000. New Century Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $987,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 620.8% during the third quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 143,144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,203,000 after acquiring an additional 123,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Century Aluminum during the third quarter valued at $1,277,000. 61.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Century Aluminum Company Profile

Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer that develops and operates smelters designed to supply low-carbon, high-purity aluminum products to a range of industrial and commercial markets. Established in 1995, the company has grown to become a significant North American aluminum producer with an expanding international footprint. Century Aluminum is headquartered in the United States and is focused on energy-efficient operations and cost management.

The company’s core operations include three primary aluminum smelting facilities located in Hawesville, Kentucky; Mount Holly, South Carolina; and Grundartangi, Iceland.