Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.00.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CENX shares. B. Riley lifted their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Zacks Research raised Century Aluminum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Century Aluminum from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Century Aluminum news, SVP Agust F. Hafberg sold 9,493 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $264,949.63. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 55,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,542,306.60. This represents a 14.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Aluminum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Century Aluminum during the third quarter worth about $209,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 25.0% in the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 29,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $876,000 after buying an additional 5,967 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,831,000. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $290,000. 61.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Century Aluminum Trading Up 7.1%

NASDAQ CENX opened at $36.21 on Wednesday. Century Aluminum has a 52 week low of $13.05 and a 52 week high of $37.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $30.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.60 and a beta of 2.28.

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

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.