Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Stock Price Up 6.9% - Here's Why

Shares of Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) shot up 6.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $139.00 and last traded at $133.12. 986,211 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 30% from the average session volume of 758,069 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on LEU. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $104.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Centrus Energy to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Craig Hallum began coverage on Centrus Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.00.

Centrus Energy Stock Down 3.3%

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $82.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.75. 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 company has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Insider Activity at Centrus Energy

In related news, SVP John M. A. Donelson sold 3,732 shares of Centrus Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.31, for a total transaction of $359,428.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin J. Harrill sold 1,728 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,226 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,947,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 77.4% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 440 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Centrus Energy by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Centrus Energy by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Centrus Energy by 4.6% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.96% of the company's stock.

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.