Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Kaiser Aluminum stock reached a new 52-week high of $182.90 (last $181.88) after reporting a strong quarter, with EPS of $3.74 versus $1.96 expected and revenue of $1.11B, up 42.4% year-over-year.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is a "Hold" with a $159.50 price target, though KeyCorp raised its target to $183 and some firms have upgraded their views.
• Company insiders have sold significant stakes recently — including CEO Keith Harvey (47,001 shares) and Director Brett Wilcox (15,000 shares) — totaling 76,731 shares (~$13.1M), with insiders now owning about 1.4% of the stock.

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $182.90 and last traded at $181.88, with a volume of 67928 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $175.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $142.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kaiser Aluminum has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $159.50.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 2.6%

The stock's fifty day moving average is $135.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65 and a beta of 1.60.

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

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 24th. Kaiser Aluminum's payout ratio is currently 33.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kaiser Aluminum news, Director Brett Wilcox sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 9,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,724,688.28. The trade was a 60.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith Harvey sold 47,001 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.09, for a total transaction of $8,229,405.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 97,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,043,085.51. This represents a 32.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 76,731 shares of company stock worth $13,137,697. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 389.3% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Kaiser Aluminum in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 408.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 366 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 374 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 475.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 414 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

About Kaiser Aluminum

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.