Century Aluminum Company Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eight analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.80.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CENX shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Century Aluminum Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. BidaskClub upgraded Century Aluminum Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. TheStreet upgraded Century Aluminum Company from a “d+” rating to a “c” rating in a report on Monday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “hold” rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Century Aluminum Company in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Cowen and Company increased their price target on Century Aluminum Company from $11.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 27th.

Shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ CENX) traded down 3.08% during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.38. 2,859,864 shares of the company’s stock traded hands. The company’s market cap is $1.43 billion. Century Aluminum Company has a 12 month low of $5.53 and a 12 month high of $17.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $14.01 and a 200 day moving average of $12.62.

Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $365.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $364.33 million. Century Aluminum Company had a negative return on equity of 5.85% and a negative net margin of 18.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.23) EPS. Analysts expect that Century Aluminum Company will post $0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, insider Michael A. Bless sold 27,618 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.88, for a total value of $410,955.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ING Groep NV raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company by 76.2% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 3,020,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,912,000 after buying an additional 1,306,579 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company by 510.2% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 231,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,979,000 after buying an additional 193,285 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company by 67.1% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 232,782 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,954,000 after buying an additional 93,446 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,431,341 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,252,000 after buying an additional 18,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $639,000. 66.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.（Transcript Daily）