Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.00.

CENX has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Century Aluminum from $37.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CENX opened at $45.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.49. Century Aluminum has a 1 year low of $13.05 and a 1 year high of $45.74. The company has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.75 and a beta of 2.26.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Aluminum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CENX. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Century Aluminum by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Century Aluminum by 2.5% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,562 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC raised its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 53,943 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,584,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 2.5% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 20,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. 61.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.