Handelsbanken Fonder AB Makes New $1.33 Million Investment in Centrus Energy Corp. $LEU

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB opened a new position in Centrus Energy, buying 5,480 shares worth about $1.33 million in the fourth quarter.
• Centrus Energy’s latest quarterly results topped expectations, with EPS of $1.05 versus an expected $0.33 and revenue of $76.7 million, up 4.9% year over year.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive but cautious: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating, though several firms recently trimmed price targets; meanwhile, CFO Todd M. Tinelli sold 306 shares in May.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,329,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 309.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 34,754 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,776,000 after acquiring an additional 26,257 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 78.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 442,261 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,132,000 after acquiring an additional 194,909 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 16,538.1% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 101,326 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,598,000 after acquiring an additional 100,717 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 53,766 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,052,000 after acquiring an additional 7,450 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 780,986 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,161,000 after acquiring an additional 160,482 shares during the period. 49.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centrus Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LEU opened at $184.19 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 4.88 and a current ratio of 5.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.99, a P/E/G ratio of 18.58 and a beta of 1.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $194.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.46. Centrus Energy Corp. has a 1 year low of $115.81 and a 1 year high of $464.25.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $76.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $76.13 million. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 13.40% and a return on equity of 13.10%. Centrus Energy's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LEU. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Centrus Energy from $224.00 to $218.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Centrus Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Centrus Energy from $245.00 to $195.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Centrus Energy from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Centrus Energy from $245.00 to $242.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Centrus Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.18.

Insider Transactions at Centrus Energy

In other Centrus Energy news, CFO Todd M. Tinelli sold 306 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.55, for a total value of $62,286.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

About Centrus Energy

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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