Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Shares Gap Up - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Central Puerto S.A. shares gapped up from $8.85 to $9.40 prior to trading, later last trading at $9.19 with a volume of 158,740 shares.
• Recent analyst ratings for CEPU include a "sell" rating from Weiss Ratings and a downgrade from "strong-buy" to "buy" by Wall Street Zen, reflecting a general sentiment of caution.
• The company reported $0.48 EPS and $179.60 million in revenue for the last quarter, with analysts projecting 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $8.85, but opened at $9.40. Central Puerto shares last traded at $9.19, with a volume of 158,740 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CEPU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Central Puerto in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Central Puerto from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Central Puerto currently has an average rating of "Sell".

Central Puerto Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $9.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.04.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $179.60 million for the quarter. Central Puerto had a net margin of 21.30% and a return on equity of 11.81%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Central Puerto

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new stake in Central Puerto during the first quarter worth $53,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Central Puerto during the first quarter worth $170,000. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Central Puerto during the first quarter worth $200,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Central Puerto by 13.6% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 20,531 shares of the company's stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 2,460 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Central Puerto by 41.1% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 30,434 shares of the company's stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 8,867 shares during the period. 2.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Central Puerto

Central Puerto SA engages in the electric power generation in Argentina. It operates through three segments: Electric Power Generation from Conventional Sources, Electric Power Generation from Renewable Sources, and Natural Gas Transport and Distribution. The company generates energy through thermal, hydroelectric, and wind farms.

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