StockNews.com Upgrades Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) to "Hold"

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Friday.

Separately, Wolfe Research upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Up 6.3 %

Kaiser Aluminum stock traded up $3.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $59.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,459. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market cap of $957.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.81. Kaiser Aluminum has a 12 month low of $46.81 and a 12 month high of $102.42.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.30). Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 6.25% and a net margin of 1.55%. The business had revenue of $765.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $752.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KALU. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 497.2% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 651 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 851 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 87.1% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth about $121,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in manufacture and sale of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products in the United States and internationally. It offers rolled, extruded, and drawn aluminum products used for aerospace and defense, aluminum beverage and food packaging, automotive and general engineering products.