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Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Downgraded to "Underweight" Rating by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Kaiser Aluminum logo with Industrials background
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Key Points

  • JPMorgan downgraded Kaiser Aluminum to "Underweight" with a $142 price target, implying about a 14% downside from the prior close.
  • Kaiser reported a strong quarter—$3.74 EPS vs. $1.96 expected and revenue of $1.11B (up ~42% year-over-year)—supporting a healthy earnings-driven outlook (analysts expect ~7.85 EPS for the year).
  • There has been substantial insider selling
  • MarketBeat previews the top five stocks to own by June 1st.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note issued on Thursday. They currently have a $142.00 price objective on the industrial products company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price indicates a potential downside of 14.05% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on KALU. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Kaiser Aluminum from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kaiser Aluminum presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $154.00.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Kaiser Aluminum

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KALU opened at $165.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 2.47. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.26. Kaiser Aluminum has a fifty-two week low of $63.58 and a fifty-two week high of $181.47.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $3.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $1.78. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 4.14% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $948.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum will post 7.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kaiser Aluminum

In related news, SVP Iulian Gheorghe sold 175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.22, for a total value of $30,488.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $774,930.56. This trade represents a 3.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of Kaiser Aluminum stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.29, for a total value of $866,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 19,091 shares in the company, valued at $3,308,279.39. This trade represents a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 72,176 shares of company stock worth $12,351,544. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 340.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 374 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 389.3% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 475.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 414 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 408.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 366 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Kaiser Aluminum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kaiser Aluminum this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increase: a cited analyst raised KALU’s target by ~37% to $174.93, supporting a higher near-term valuation. MSN: Price Target Increase
  • Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly results: KALU reported $3.74 EPS and +42% revenue y/y, beating estimates — a fundamental positive that supports earnings-driven valuation. MarketBeat: Earnings Summary
  • Positive Sentiment: Dividend payout: the company declared a quarterly dividend ($0.77), delivering yield and a sign of cash-flow confidence. MarketBeat: Dividend Notice
  • Neutral Sentiment: Small SVP sale: SVP Iulian Gheorghe sold 175 shares (~$30k) — immaterial by itself and likely not a material signal. InsiderTrades: SVP Sale
  • Negative Sentiment: CEO large sale: CEO Keith Harvey sold 47,001 shares (~$8.23M), trimming his stake by ~32.6% — a headline-grabbing transaction that tends to raise investor caution. SEC: CEO Filing
  • Negative Sentiment: CFO sale: CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares (~$866k), reducing his holding by ~20.8% — reinforces the insider-sell narrative. SEC: CFO Filing
  • Negative Sentiment: Director sale: Director Brett Wilcox sold 15,000 shares (~$2.62M), cutting his holding by ~60% — another significant insider liquidation. SEC: Director Filing
  • Negative Sentiment: Media framing and commentary: outlets flagged a “wave” of leadership unloads (TipRanks) and Jim Cramer said he “can’t recommend” KALU — amplifying short-term selling pressure from retail and momentum traders. TipRanks: Insider Sell-Off InsiderMonkey: Cramer Comment

About Kaiser Aluminum

(Get Free Report)

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is a U.S.-based producer of semi‐fabricated aluminum products, serving a diverse range of industrial and specialty markets. The company's offerings include extruded, rolled, and forged aluminum products designed to meet stringent performance requirements in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, defense, electronics, and general engineering. By focusing on high‐value applications, Kaiser Aluminum aims to deliver lightweight, durable solutions that contribute to efficiency and innovation across its customer base.

Operationally, Kaiser Aluminum maintains a network of smelters, extrusion plants, and rolling mills located primarily in North America.

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Analyst Recommendations for Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU)

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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