Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Position in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 350,858 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 91,647 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Century Aluminum were worth $10,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in Century Aluminum in the first quarter worth $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 253.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 26.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Century Aluminum by 12.9% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Century Aluminum during the second quarter worth about $124,000. 61.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Century Aluminum

In related news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.19, for a total transaction of $7,228,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 292,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,099,430.20. The trade was a 33.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CENX shares. B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on shares of Century Aluminum from $37.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research lowered Century Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.00.

Century Aluminum Stock Down 7.0%

Century Aluminum stock opened at $49.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Century Aluminum Company has a 1-year low of $13.05 and a 1-year high of $55.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.47 and a beta of 2.24.

Century Aluminum 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.