Century Aluminum Company $CENX Shares Bought by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase raised its stake in Century Aluminum by 188.5% in Q3 to 424,252 shares (about 0.45% of the company), valued at roughly $12.46 million.
• Insiders sold a total of 231,097 shares this quarter worth about $11.37 million—notably EVP John Dezee sold 66,000 shares and SVP Matt Aboud sold 2,971—leaving insiders with roughly 0.76% ownership.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus "Buy" rating and an average price target of $54.33; CENX has a $5.03B market cap, a one‑year trading range of $13.05–$56.96, and recently reported EPS in line with estimates.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) by 188.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 424,252 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 277,206 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.45% of Century Aluminum worth $12,456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Century Aluminum by 26.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Century Aluminum by 253.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 12.9% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,414 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the period. Finally, Madrona Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the third quarter valued at about $213,000. 61.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Century Aluminum Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENX opened at $53.90 on Friday. Century Aluminum Company has a one year low of $13.05 and a one year high of $56.96. The stock has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of 134.75 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $47.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.27.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.25. Century Aluminum had a return on equity of 5.57% and a net margin of 1.65%.The company had revenue of $633.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Century Aluminum Company will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CENX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Century Aluminum from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Century Aluminum from $46.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $54.33.

Insider Activity at Century Aluminum

In other news, SVP Matt Aboud sold 2,971 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.67, for a total value of $156,482.57. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 64,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,415,280.81. This represents a 4.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Dezee sold 66,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.72, for a total transaction of $3,347,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 97,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,952,655.84. This represents a 40.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 231,097 shares of company stock valued at $11,369,118. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Century Aluminum Company Profile

Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer that develops and operates smelters designed to supply low-carbon, high-purity aluminum products to a range of industrial and commercial markets. Established in 1995, the company has grown to become a significant North American aluminum producer with an expanding international footprint. Century Aluminum is headquartered in the United States and is focused on energy-efficient operations and cost management.

The company's core operations include three primary aluminum smelting facilities located in Hawesville, Kentucky; Mount Holly, South Carolina; and Grundartangi, Iceland.

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