Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $195.96 and last traded at $195.63, with a volume of 309108 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $187.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on KALU. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Zacks Research lowered Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $159.50.

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $178.49 and a 200 day moving average of $144.94.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $3.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $1.78. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 4.14%.The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $948.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kaiser Aluminum Corporation will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.55%.

Insider Transactions at Kaiser Aluminum

In related news, SVP Iulian Gheorghe sold 175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.22, for a total value of $30,488.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,448 shares in the company, valued at $774,930.56. The trade was a 3.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard P. Grimley sold 1,524 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.52, for a total value of $261,396.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $785,218.56. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,731 shares of company stock worth $12,529,097. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 389.3% during the 4th 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. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 408.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 475.0% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 107.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by 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.