Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,937,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,557 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 3.17% of Century Aluminum worth $53,531,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pertento Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the 4th quarter worth about $7,678,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Century Aluminum by 348.4% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 496,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,055,000 after purchasing an additional 386,133 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Century Aluminum by 49.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 959,033 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,565,000 after purchasing an additional 319,164 shares during the period. Cohen & Steers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,485,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 431,279 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,858,000 after buying an additional 183,875 shares in the last quarter. 61.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Century Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CENX traded down $0.91 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $16.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,741,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,383,606. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $17.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 2.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Century Aluminum has a twelve month low of $11.40 and a twelve month high of $25.39.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The industrial products company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.05. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 13.38%. The firm had revenue of $631.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $515.27 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised Century Aluminum from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Robert F. Hoffman sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.99, for a total value of $49,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 64,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,281,019.17. This represents a 3.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

About Century Aluminum

Century Aluminum Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production of standard-grade and value-added primary aluminum products in the United States and Iceland. It also owns and operates an alumina production facility in Iceland, and a carbon anode production facility in the Netherlands.