Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised Century Aluminum from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $27.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. B. Riley lifted their target price on Century Aluminum from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Century Aluminum from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday.

Century Aluminum Trading Down 2.2 %

NASDAQ:CENX traded down $0.42 on Monday, reaching $18.95. 1,664,691 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,730,220. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Century Aluminum has a 1-year low of $10.06 and a 1-year high of $25.39. The company's 50 day moving average is $19.30 and its 200-day moving average is $18.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.00 and a beta of 2.50.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The industrial products company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.05. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 13.38%. The company had revenue of $631.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $515.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Century Aluminum news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 29,243 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.97, for a total value of $554,739.71. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 50,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,784.41. This represents a 36.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Century Aluminum by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 621,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $10,084,000 after purchasing an additional 89,621 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 1.3% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 204,302 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,316,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP bought a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the third quarter worth about $180,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 301,992 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,901,000 after acquiring an additional 43,881 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Century Aluminum by 612.1% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 13,993 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 12,028 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.59% of the company's stock.

About Century Aluminum

Century Aluminum Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production of standard-grade and value-added primary aluminum products in the United States and Iceland. It also owns and operates an alumina production facility in Iceland, and a carbon anode production facility in the Netherlands.