Short Interest in Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Expands By 11.1%

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,700,000 shares, a growth of 11.1% from the November 30th total of 4,230,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days. Currently, 9.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

CENX stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.22. The stock had a trading volume of 826,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,294,750. Century Aluminum has a 52 week low of $9.65 and a 52 week high of $25.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 2.50. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.33.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.31. Century Aluminum had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $539.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $587.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.13) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Century Aluminum will post 0.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 29,243 shares of Century Aluminum stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 50,753 shares of the company's stock, valued at $962,784.41. This trade represents 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. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 104.1% in the second 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Century Aluminum by 39.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,347 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP bought a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the third quarter worth about $180,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the third quarter worth approximately $189,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 8.1% during the second quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 11,792 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.59% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. B. Riley lifted their target price on shares of Century Aluminum from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wolfe Research raised Century Aluminum from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $27.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com raised Century Aluminum from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Century Aluminum from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th.

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.

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