Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $37.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.00.

Century Aluminum Stock Up 2.7%

CENX stock opened at $50.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $44.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.05. Century Aluminum has a 12 month low of $13.05 and a 12 month high of $55.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 59.08 and a beta of 2.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.19, for a total transaction of $7,228,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 292,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,099,430.20. This trade represents a 33.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lido Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 12,911 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Century Aluminum by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,269 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in Century Aluminum by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Century Aluminum by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,562 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.59% of the company’s stock.

Century Aluminum Company Profile

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.