LPL Financial LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Centrus Energy Corp. $LEU

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC has reduced its stake in Centrus Energy Corp. by 10.8%, owning 34,101 shares worth approximately $2.12 million.
• Several research firms have recently upgraded their ratings on Centrus Energy, with price targets ranging from $215.00 to $285.00, indicating strong investor interest.
• Centus Energy reported an EPS of $1.59 for the last quarter, significantly beating analysts' consensus estimates, although its revenue decreased by 18.3% year-over-year.

LPL Financial LLC decreased its position in shares of Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 34,101 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,110 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Centrus Energy worth $2,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 8,075.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $793,000 after purchasing an additional 12,597 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Centrus Energy by 380.9% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,449 shares of the company's stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 5,108 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of Centrus Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 21.1% during the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 13,913 shares of the company's stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 2,422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Centrus Energy by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,604 shares of the company's stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on LEU shares. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of Centrus Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group raised shares of Centrus Energy to a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Centrus Energy from $251.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Centrus Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $220.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Northland Securities set a $275.00 price objective on Centrus Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Centrus Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.09.

Centrus Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEU traded up $9.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $186.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,703,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,047,482. Centrus Energy Corp. has a 1 year low of $34.91 and a 1 year high of $264.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $200.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.28 and a beta of 1.35.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $1.01. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 16.56% and a return on equity of 84.09%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Centrus Energy

In other news, CFO Kevin J. Harrill sold 1,728 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $217,728.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.