Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Shares Up 3% on Analyst Upgrade

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) shares traded up 3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock to a sell rating. The stock traded as high as $179.38 and last traded at $178.22. 366,759 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 884,131 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.03.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on LEU. B. Riley raised their price target on Centrus Energy from $88.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Roth Mkm dropped their target price on Centrus Energy from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Centrus Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.57.

Insider Activity at Centrus Energy

In other news, SVP John M. A. Donelson sold 3,732 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.31, for a total value of $359,428.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin J. Harrill sold 1,728 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were 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 owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centrus Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LEU. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Centrus Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $113,000. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Centrus Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $716,000. Canton Hathaway LLC bought a new position in Centrus Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $161,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Centrus Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Centrus Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $225,000. 49.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Centrus Energy Stock Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $106.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 2.93 and a quick ratio of 2.46. The stock has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.09 and a beta of 1.37.

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

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.