Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) Receives $54.33 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.3333.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CENX shares. B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on Century Aluminum from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th.

Century Aluminum Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of CENX stock opened at $53.69 on Monday. Century Aluminum has a 12 month low of $13.05 and a 12 month high of $56.96. The company has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a PE ratio of 134.23 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.68.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.25. The business had revenue of $633.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.63 million. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 5.57%. Century Aluminum’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Century Aluminum

In other news, SVP Matt Aboud sold 2,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.67, for a total transaction of $156,482.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 64,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,415,280.81. This represents a 4.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.19, for a total transaction of $7,228,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 292,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,099,430.20. The trade was a 33.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 241,097 shares of company stock valued at $11,932,418 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the second quarter valued at $641,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Century Aluminum in the 3rd quarter valued at $942,000. New Century Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Century Aluminum in the 3rd quarter valued at $987,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 620.8% in the 3rd quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 143,144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,203,000 after buying an additional 123,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,277,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.59% of the company’s stock.

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.