Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Centrus Energy's stock price surged from $344.23 to $364.33 at opening, indicating strong market interest, with the last trading price at $367.41 on high volume.
• Analysts have set a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Centrus Energy, with price targets ranging from $220.00 to $300.00, reflecting varied opinions among experts.
• The company reported $1.59 earnings per share in its last quarter, significantly exceeding expectations, despite a year-over-year revenue decrease of 18.3%.

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $344.23, but opened at $364.33. Centrus Energy shares last traded at $367.41, with a volume of 322,198 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LEU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Centrus Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $220.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Centrus Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.09.

Centrus Energy Price Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $277.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.08 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $1.01. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 16.56% and a return on equity of 84.09%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Centrus Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centrus Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Centrus Energy by 15.1% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 327 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Centrus Energy by 59.4% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 169 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Centrus Energy by 7.9% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Centrus Energy by 157.7% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its holdings in Centrus Energy by 3.7% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,294 shares of the company's stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. 49.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Centrus Energy

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.

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