Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.00.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CENX shares. Zacks Research lowered Century Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $37.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENX opened at $47.37 on Thursday. Century Aluminum has a 12-month low of $13.05 and a 12-month high of $52.00. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 55.78 and a beta of 2.24. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.23). Century Aluminum had a net margin of 3.47% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $632.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $629.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Century Aluminum

In other news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of Century Aluminum stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.19, for a total transaction of $7,228,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 292,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,099,430.20. This trade represents a 33.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Century Aluminum

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in Century Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 1,291.8% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Century Aluminum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 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.