Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Shares Up 1.1% - Should You Buy?

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) shares traded up 1.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $146.83 and last traded at $142.53. 488,377 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 769,258 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LEU shares. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Centrus Energy to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. HC Wainwright initiated coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Centrus Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $146.00.

Centrus Energy Trading Up 5.0%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $83.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.16. The company has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.93.

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 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%. The business's revenue was up 67.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.38) EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centrus Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Centrus Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Centrus Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Centrus Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its position in Centrus Energy by 589.5% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 655 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.96% of the company's stock.

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.