StockNews.com Upgrades Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) to Hold

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

CENX has been the subject of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Century Aluminum from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. B. Riley reduced their target price on Century Aluminum from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Century Aluminum Stock Up 3.4 %

NASDAQ CENX traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $16.48. 854,019 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,354,307. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 2.48. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $14.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.05. Century Aluminum has a 52 week low of $5.70 and a 52 week high of $21.37.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The industrial products company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $560.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $530.90 million. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 10.32% and a negative return on equity of 0.04%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Century Aluminum will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Century Aluminum

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MQS Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 8.1% during the 2nd quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 11,792 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 45,288 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,347 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 27,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 104.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385 shares during the period. 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.

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