Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Rating Lowered to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen lowered Kaiser Aluminum from “strong-buy” to “buy”, adding to a mixed analyst picture that currently sits at a consensus Hold with a $168.25 target price.
• Kaiser Aluminum delivered a strong Q2 earnings beat, reporting $5.53 EPS versus $2.66 expected and revenue of $1.26 billion versus $1.12 billion forecast, with revenue up 52.7% year over year.
• The stock was noted as down 9.7% in the article, while insiders sold shares over the past three months and institutional ownership remained very high at 99.29%.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on KALU. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $142.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kaiser Aluminum has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $168.25.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Down 9.7%

Kaiser Aluminum stock opened at $163.17 on Friday. Kaiser Aluminum has a 52 week low of $71.44 and a 52 week high of $195.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 2.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 1.59. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $176.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.82.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $5.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $2.87. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 24.71% and a net margin of 5.49%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 52.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kaiser Aluminum

In related news, Director Richard P. Grimley sold 1,524 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.52, for a total value of $261,396.48. Following the sale, the director owned 4,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $785,218.56. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brett Wilcox sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.44, for a total value of $2,616,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,887 shares in the company, valued at $1,724,688.28. This trade represents a 60.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 71,731 shares of company stock worth $12,529,097 over the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KALU. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth about $5,018,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,410,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 24.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,150,000 after acquiring an additional 15,528 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 157,078 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $18,042,000 after acquiring an additional 19,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 47.9% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 47,236 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,426,000 after acquiring an additional 15,299 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

More Kaiser Aluminum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kaiser Aluminum’s Q2 results topped expectations, with earnings of $5.53 per share well above consensus and revenue also exceeding forecasts, reinforcing a strong operational turnaround. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and earnings-call coverage highlighted strong earnings momentum and an upbeat full-year outlook, which likely helped extend the post-earnings rally in KALU. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of the company’s earnings call emphasized record revenue and strong profitability, suggesting the quarter was not just a beat but also a sign of durable improvement in demand and margins. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Kaiser Aluminum to $169 from $158, but kept an underweight rating, signaling improved valuation expectations while remaining cautious on the stock’s longer-term setup. Article Title

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

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.

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.