Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 106,650 Shares of Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 106,650 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Century Aluminum were worth $4,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Century Aluminum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,605,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Century Aluminum by 32,016.7% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 1,921 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Century Aluminum by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,374 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in Century Aluminum by 132.4% in the 4th quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 46,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,826,000 after buying an additional 26,552 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Century Aluminum by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,269 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. 61.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Robert F. Hoffman sold 10,529 shares of the business’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 transaction of $594,993.79. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 56,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,200,895.93. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.47, for a total value of $8,320,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 142,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,908,912.60. This represents a 51.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 185,626 shares of company stock worth $10,271,891. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on CENX. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Century Aluminum from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets set a $75.00 price objective on Century Aluminum and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on Century Aluminum from $68.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Century Aluminum from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Century Aluminum presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

CENX opened at $65.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Century Aluminum Company has a 1 year low of $15.13 and a 1 year high of $68.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.87.

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.