Ruffer LLP Invests $936,000 in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP bought a new position of 23,851 shares of Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) in Q4, valued at about $936,000.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — 401,626 shares worth roughly $20.85 million were sold in the last quarter, including EVP John Dezee (66,000 shares) and SVP Matt Aboud (12,126 shares), leaving insiders with about 0.76% ownership.
• CENX trades near $63 with a one‑year range of $14.77–$68.69 and a $6.24 billion market cap; analysts show a consensus Moderate Buy and an average price target of $79.33 after several firms raised targets into the $75–$86 range.

Ruffer LLP bought a new position in shares of Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 23,851 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $936,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 22.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,001 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $724,000 after acquiring an additional 7,051 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,186 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,098,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 124,001 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,301,000 after acquiring an additional 21,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Century Aluminum by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 147,046 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,650,000 after acquiring an additional 9,721 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.59% of the company's stock.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

Shares of CENX stock opened at $63.09 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $56.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.97. Century Aluminum Company has a one year low of $14.77 and a one year high of $68.69. The firm has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 157.73 and a beta of 1.99.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.25. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 5.57%. The firm had revenue of $633.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Century Aluminum Company will post 6.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Century Aluminum

In other news, EVP John Dezee sold 66,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.72, for a total value of $3,347,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 97,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,952,655.84. This represents a 40.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matt Aboud sold 12,126 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.50, for a total transaction of $636,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 67,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,560,235. This represents a 15.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 401,626 shares of company stock valued at $20,847,911. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CENX. BMO Capital Markets set a $75.00 price target on shares of Century Aluminum and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on shares of Century Aluminum from $68.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Century Aluminum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Century Aluminum has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.33.

Century Aluminum 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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