Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Trading 4.9% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Central Puerto S.A. shares rose 4.9% to close at $9.00, despite a significant drop in trading volume to only 44,731 shares exchanged compared to the average of 309,762 shares.
• Wall Street analysts upgraded Central Puerto's rating from "buy" to "strong-buy" following the company’s quarterly earnings report of $0.48 per share and revenue of $179.60 million.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest, with substantial purchases made recently, including a 14.8% position increase by MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd., which now holds over $32 million in shares.

Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU - Get Free Report) shares traded up 4.9% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $9.04 and last traded at $9.00. 44,731 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 309,762 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.58.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Central Puerto from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd.

Central Puerto Trading Down 0.1%

The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50 day moving average is $10.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm 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 analysts anticipate that Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CEPU. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Central Puerto by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,782,883 shares of the company's stock worth $32,504,000 after purchasing an additional 359,121 shares during the last quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,996,000. Fourth Sail Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,736,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,149,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Central Puerto by 863.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 95,773 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 85,831 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.97% of the company's stock.

Central Puerto Company Profile

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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