Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $6.26 Million Investment in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 213,350 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,264,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Century Aluminum at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,562 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Century Aluminum by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Century Aluminum by 2.5% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 20,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Century Aluminum by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 15,376 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares during the period. 61.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CENX. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on shares of Century Aluminum from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.19, for a total value of $7,228,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 292,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,099,430.20. This trade represents a 33.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matt Aboud sold 12,126 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.50, for a total value of $636,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 67,814 shares in the company, valued at $3,560,235. This represents a 15.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 241,097 shares of company stock worth $11,932,418. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENX opened at $54.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 136.13 and a beta of 2.16. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.46 and its 200-day moving average is $35.91. Century Aluminum Company has a 12-month low of $13.05 and a 12-month high of $56.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

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

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.