Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 17,710 Shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 319,702 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 17,710 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.34% of Century Aluminum worth $5,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new position in Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $180,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake 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 buying an additional 12,028 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Century Aluminum by 36.5% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 26,977 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 7,212 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter valued at $256,000. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter valued at $300,000. 61.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Century Aluminum from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Wolfe Research upgraded Century Aluminum from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

CENX traded down $0.81 on Thursday, hitting $18.15. The company had a trading volume of 784,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,704,755. Century Aluminum has a 1-year low of $11.04 and a 1-year high of $25.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The company's fifty day moving average price is $19.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 2.67.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Century Aluminum

In other Century Aluminum news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 29,243 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 50,753 shares of the company's stock, valued at $962,784.41. This trade represents a 36.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.68% 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.