Insider Selling: Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) CAO Sells $594,993.79 in Stock

Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) CAO Robert Hoffman sold 10,529 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.51, for a total value of $594,993.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 56,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,895.93. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Century Aluminum Stock Down 5.2%

Shares of NASDAQ CENX opened at $54.73 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 136.83 and a beta of 2.16. Century Aluminum Company has a one year low of $13.05 and a one year high of $59.12. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 5.57%. The firm had revenue of $633.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Century Aluminum Company will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on CENX. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $61.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on Century Aluminum from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $57.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Century Aluminum

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CENX. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Century Aluminum during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Century Aluminum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Century Aluminum by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Century Aluminum by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,218 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 497 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 is a primary aluminum producer that develops and operates smelters designed to supply low-carbon, high-purity aluminum products to a range of industrial and commercial markets. Established in 1995, the company has grown to become a significant North American aluminum producer with an expanding international footprint. Century Aluminum is headquartered in the United States and is focused on energy-efficient operations and cost management.

The company’s core operations include three primary aluminum smelting facilities located in Hawesville, Kentucky; Mount Holly, South Carolina; and Grundartangi, Iceland.