Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.39 Million in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 23,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,385,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in Century Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,218 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. 61.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Century Aluminum Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:CENX opened at $43.76 on Friday. Century Aluminum Company has a 1 year low of $18.00 and a 1 year high of $70.43. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 1.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $58.26 and its 200 day moving average is $53.15.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets set a $75.00 target price on shares of Century Aluminum and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Century Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Century Aluminum from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Century Aluminum has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.00.

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.