Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $167.41, but opened at $160.87. Kaiser Aluminum shares last traded at $158.6460, with a volume of 9,280 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $179.00 to $184.00 in a report on Monday, August 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.50.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Down 1.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $166.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.43.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $5.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.66 by $2.87. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 5.49% and a return on equity of 24.71%. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kaiser Aluminum Corporation will post 10.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 18,986.0% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 3,937,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $770,282,000 after purchasing an additional 3,916,815 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 31.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,154,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,238,000 after buying an additional 279,231 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the second quarter worth about $38,353,000. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the third quarter worth about $13,111,000. Finally, Brightline Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the 4th quarter worth about $19,296,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is a U.S.-based producer of semi‐fabricated aluminum products, serving a diverse range of industrial and specialty markets. The company’s offerings include extruded, rolled, and forged aluminum products designed to meet stringent performance requirements in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, defense, electronics, and general engineering. By focusing on high‐value applications, Kaiser Aluminum aims to deliver lightweight, durable solutions that contribute to efficiency and innovation across its customer base.

Operationally, Kaiser Aluminum maintains a network of smelters, extrusion plants, and rolling mills located primarily in North America.