Millennium Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX)

Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) by 333.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 457,728 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 352,186 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned 0.49% of Century Aluminum worth $8,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Glencore plc purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the 4th quarter worth $729,427,000. Pertento Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Century Aluminum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,678,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Century Aluminum by 348.4% during the 4th 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. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 117.9% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 460,796 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,396,000 after purchasing an additional 249,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yaupon Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Century Aluminum by 76.3% in the fourth quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 567,837 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $10,346,000 after purchasing an additional 245,813 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.59% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Robert F. Hoffman sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.99, for a total transaction of $49,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 64,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,281,019.17. This trade represents a 3.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Century Aluminum from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Century Aluminum from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

Century Aluminum stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $15.62. 219,354 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,694,894. The stock has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.94 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 fifty-two week low of $11.40 and a fifty-two week high of $25.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.79.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $633.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.80 million. Century Aluminum had a return on equity of 13.38% and a net margin of 14.69%. On average, research analysts expect that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Century Aluminum Profile

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.