Zacks Research Upgrades Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) to Strong-Buy

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

KALU has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $142.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kaiser Aluminum has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.25.

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of KALU opened at $159.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.05. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1-year low of $71.44 and a 1-year high of $195.96. The stock has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 1.59.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $5.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $2.87. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 24.71% and a net margin of 5.49%.The business had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 52.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 10.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 389.3% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 475.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 408.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the 1st quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kaiser Aluminum

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.