Brokerages Set Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) PT at $80.00

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $80.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Century Aluminum from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets set a $75.00 price objective on Century Aluminum and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on Century Aluminum from $68.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st.

Insider Transactions at Century Aluminum

In other news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.47, for a total transaction of $8,320,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 142,580 shares in the company, valued at $7,908,912.60. The trade was a 51.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Dezee sold 66,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.72, for a total value of $3,347,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 97,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,952,655.84. This trade represents a 40.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 251,626 shares of company stock worth $13,619,411. Insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CENX. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Century Aluminum by 22.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,001 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 7,051 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in Century Aluminum in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Century Aluminum by 1.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,186 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Century Aluminum by 21.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 124,001 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,301,000 after acquiring an additional 21,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Century Aluminum by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 147,046 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,650,000 after acquiring an additional 9,721 shares during the period. 61.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Century Aluminum Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of CENX opened at $54.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $58.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.74. Century Aluminum has a 52 week low of $15.13 and a 52 week high of $68.69.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.63 million. Century Aluminum had a return on equity of 13.59% and a net margin of 13.75%.The firm’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Century Aluminum will post 10.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.