Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Trading Down 6.6% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Centrus shares fell about 6.6% on Wednesday to roughly $192 on thin volume (143,718 shares traded, down ~86% versus average), versus a prior close of $205.59.
• Analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $268.82, but price targets and ratings vary widely (from $137 to $390 and from Strong Buy to Sell).
• The company missed quarterly EPS ($0.79 vs. $1.42 expected) while revenue was roughly in line; Centrus has a market cap of ~$3.78B and a P/E of ~46.2.

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) was down 6.6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $194.08 and last traded at $191.9820. Approximately 143,718 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 1,042,040 shares. The stock had previously closed at $205.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LEU shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Centrus Energy in a report on Friday, March 27th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Monday, January 5th. B. Riley Financial reduced their price objective on Centrus Energy from $315.00 to $295.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Centrus Energy from $245.00 to $242.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Centrus Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Centrus Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.82.

Centrus Energy Trading Down 6.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 4.83 and a current ratio of 5.59. The stock's fifty day moving average is $198.08 and its 200 day moving average is $256.27. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.18 and a beta of 1.35.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.63). Centrus Energy had a net margin of 17.34% and a return on equity of 15.52%. The business had revenue of $146.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $145.40 million. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Centrus Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 309.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 34,754 shares of the company's stock worth $10,776,000 after acquiring an additional 26,257 shares during the period. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Centrus Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $3,024,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 78.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 442,261 shares of the company's stock worth $137,132,000 after acquiring an additional 194,909 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Centrus Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $5,427,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 25.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 780,986 shares of the company's stock worth $242,161,000 after acquiring an additional 160,482 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.96% of the company's stock.

Centrus Energy Company Profile

Centrus Energy Corp is a U.S.-based supplier of nuclear fuel and enrichment services, specializing in the production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) for commercial power reactors and highly enriched uranium for naval propulsion. Through its Centrus Global subsidiary, the company provides technical support, fuel fabrication services and recycled uranium products to utilities operating light-water reactors. Centrus also develops advanced centrifuge technologies aimed at improving enrichment efficiency and reducing the cost of nuclear fuel.

Originally founded as the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) in 1998 following a spin-out from the U.S.

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