Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Stock Price Up 9.1% - Still a Buy?

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) shares shot up 9.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $18.86 and last traded at $18.86. 476,087 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 719,511 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on CENX. 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of Century Aluminum from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $20.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 2.53.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $539.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $587.10 million. Century Aluminum had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 14.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Century Aluminum will post 0.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Century Aluminum news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 29,243 shares of Century Aluminum stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.97, for a total value of $554,739.71. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 50,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,784.41. The trade was a 36.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Century Aluminum

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Century Aluminum by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 366,804 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,144,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 43.2% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 15,242 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 4,598 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Century Aluminum by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 162,798 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,727,000 after buying an additional 6,886 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Century Aluminum by 104.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,385 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its position in Century Aluminum by 102.9% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 91,886 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,539,000 after buying an additional 46,598 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.59% of the company's stock.

Century Aluminum Company Profile

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.