Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 486,175 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,369,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CENX. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in Century Aluminum in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the first quarter valued at $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 253.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in Century Aluminum during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. 61.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

Shares of CENX opened at $45.89 on Friday. Century Aluminum Company has a 1 year low of $20.91 and a 1 year high of $70.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a PE ratio of 7.93 and a beta of 1.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.75. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.74.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.13. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 33.83%. The firm had revenue of $752.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $817.15 million. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Century Aluminum Company will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Century Aluminum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Century Aluminum in a report on Monday, August 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

About Century Aluminum

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.