Systematic Financial Management LP Takes $6.53 Million Position in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Key Points

• Systematic Financial Management LP opened a new position in Century Aluminum during the fourth quarter, buying 166,527 shares worth about $6.53 million. The stake represents roughly 0.18% of the company.
• Century Aluminum reported Q4 EPS of $1.25, matching analyst expectations, while revenue came in at $633.7 million, slightly below estimates. The company also posted strong profitability metrics, including a 13.75% net margin and 13.59% return on equity.
• Analysts remain constructive on the stock, with multiple firms raising targets and ratings; MarketBeat says Century Aluminum has a consensus Buy rating and an average target price of $80.00. Meanwhile, insiders have sold shares recently, including CEO Jesse E. Gary’s large March sale.

Systematic Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 166,527 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,525,000. Systematic Financial Management LP owned approximately 0.18% of Century Aluminum as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CENX. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Century Aluminum by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,269 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Century Aluminum by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,562 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Century Aluminum by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 30,604 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Century Aluminum by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 53,943 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,584,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Century Aluminum by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 20,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. 61.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Century Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENX opened at $65.05 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42 and a beta of 1.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.42 and a 200 day moving average of $47.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.30. Century Aluminum Company has a one year low of $15.13 and a one year high of $68.69.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.25. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.59%. The company had revenue of $633.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.63 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Century Aluminum Company will post 10.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on CENX. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on shares of Century Aluminum from $68.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. BMO Capital Markets set a $75.00 price target on shares of Century Aluminum and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Century Aluminum from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Century Aluminum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Century Aluminum has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Century Aluminum news, CAO Robert F. Hoffman sold 10,529 shares of Century Aluminum stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.51, for a total transaction of $594,993.79. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 56,643 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,200,895.93. The trade was a 15.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of Century Aluminum stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.47, for a total transaction of $8,320,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 142,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,908,912.60. This trade represents a 51.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 185,626 shares of company stock valued at $10,271,891 in the last 90 days. 0.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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