Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Shares Down 6% - Here's What Happened

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) shares fell 6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $173.61 and last traded at $172.60. 493,283 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 948,212 shares. The stock had previously closed at $183.65.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LEU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Centrus Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $148.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and issued a $221.00 target price (up previously from $134.00) on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Bank of America began coverage on Centrus Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $160.00 target price on the stock. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Northland Securities began coverage on Centrus Energy in a research note on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.00.

Centrus Energy Stock Performance

The business's 50-day moving average price is $133.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.93. The stock has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.67 and a beta of 1.45.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $1.68. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 16.56% and a return on equity of 84.09%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.38) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 67.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Centrus Energy

In related news, SVP John M. A. Donelson sold 3,732 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.31, for a total value of $359,428.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin J. Harrill sold 1,728 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total transaction of $217,728.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centrus Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,226 shares of the company's stock worth $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 77.4% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 440 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Old West Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the company's stock worth $676,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the company's stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 4.6% during the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 4,504 shares of the company's stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 49.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centrus Energy Company Profile

Centrus Energy Corp. supplies nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry in the United States, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. The LEU segment sells separative work units (SWU) components of LEU; natural uranium hexafluoride, uranium concentrates, and uranium conversion; and enriched uranium products to utilities that operate nuclear power plants.