Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $139.38, but opened at $123.01. Kaiser Aluminum shares last traded at $129.38, with a volume of 96,498 shares.

The industrial products company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $929.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $902.00 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 3.34%.The business’s revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS.

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.70%.

Key Stories Impacting Kaiser Aluminum

Here are the key news stories impacting Kaiser Aluminum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded KALU from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding bullish analyst support that can attract buyers. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue showed strength — revenue was reported above expectations and was up ~21% year-over-year, supporting outlook for demand recovery in industrial markets. Q4 Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Broad industrial-sector momentum (Zacks notes XLI strength) is lifting peer sentiment and interest in KALU as investors rotate into cyclical names. Sector Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show anomalous/zero values (NaN/0 shares) and a 0.0-day ratio — data appears unreliable and shouldn’t be treated as a clear signal. (raw short-interest entries)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and research pieces are discussing valuation: Zacks published a piece asking whether KALU is undervalued — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Valuation Discussion
• Negative Sentiment: KALU missed EPS expectations for Q4 ($1.53 vs. consensus ~$1.56), which pressured sentiment and prompted early selling. EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Shares gapped down after the earnings release (reported by DefenseWorld), reflecting an immediate negative market reaction to the mixed print. Gap Down Report
• Negative Sentiment: Some bearish commentary and a Seeking Alpha piece flagging a rating downgrade and other concerns, which may add selling pressure for more cautious investors. Rating Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $125 but kept an “equal weight” stance (signal that upside is limited relative to current levels), which is not a strong buy signal. Wells Fargo Note

Analyst Ratings Changes

KALU has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $82.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kaiser Aluminum presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.33.

Institutional Trading of Kaiser Aluminum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 3,127 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 630 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 1.6%

The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 2.95 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is a U.S.-based producer of semi‐fabricated aluminum products, serving a diverse range of industrial and specialty markets. The company’s offerings include extruded, rolled, and forged aluminum products designed to meet stringent performance requirements in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, defense, electronics, and general engineering. By focusing on high‐value applications, Kaiser Aluminum aims to deliver lightweight, durable solutions that contribute to efficiency and innovation across its customer base.

Operationally, Kaiser Aluminum maintains a network of smelters, extrusion plants, and rolling mills located primarily in North America.