Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $199.73 and last traded at $197.7750, with a volume of 14762 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $193.39.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on KALU shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $142.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.25.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Down 0.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $3.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 1.61. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $174.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.75.

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

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.83%.

Institutional Trading of Kaiser Aluminum

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 212.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,815 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 3,955 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the 1st quarter worth $247,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,971 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 323.6% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 55,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,346,000 after acquiring an additional 42,160 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.