Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.6667.

KALU has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.72, for a total transaction of $608,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,554,973. This trade represents a 28.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,117,791 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $243,249,000 after acquiring an additional 5,823 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 31.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,154,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $92,238,000 after purchasing an additional 279,231 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 831,652 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $95,528,000 after purchasing an additional 13,909 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 9.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 588,720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $45,426,000 after buying an additional 52,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 502,446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,769,000 after acquiring an additional 5,623 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ KALU opened at $122.69 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $129.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 2.95. Kaiser Aluminum has a twelve month low of $46.81 and a twelve month high of $150.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.10 and a beta of 1.37.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.03). Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 12.69%. The business had revenue of $929.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $902.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. Kaiser Aluminum’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Kaiser Aluminum’s payout ratio is 45.43%.

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

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.