UBS Group Upgrades Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) to Hold

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) was upgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on KALU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $142.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.50.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Performance

NASDAQ KALU opened at $180.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $136.35 and a 200-day moving average of $120.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1-year low of $65.69 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $3.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $1.78. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $948.50 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 4.14% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 7.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kaiser Aluminum

In other Kaiser Aluminum news, CEO Keith Harvey sold 47,001 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.09, for a total value of $8,229,405.09. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 97,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,043,085.51. This trade represents a 32.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard P. Grimley sold 1,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.52, for a total transaction of $261,396.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $785,218.56. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 76,731 shares of company stock valued at $13,137,697. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 1.7% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 3,704 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $450,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 3,127 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 630 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.