Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a "buy" to a "strong‑buy" in a research note issued Saturday.
• Analyst views remain mixed—two Buy ratings and four Hold ratings produce a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" with an average target price of $126.25, though individual targets range up to $170.
• Kaiser reported quarterly revenue of $929M (up 21.4% YoY) that beat estimates while EPS of $1.53 missed by $0.03; shares opened at $148.35 (near a 52‑week high of $150) and the CFO sold 5,000 shares, leaving insiders with 1.4% ownership.

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

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Kaiser Aluminum from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp started coverage on Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Thursday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $170.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kaiser Aluminum from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $126.25.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of KALU opened at $148.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $129.39 and a 200 day moving average of $113.08. Kaiser Aluminum has a 52-week low of $52.53 and a 52-week high of $150.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.03). Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 3.34%.The business had revenue of $929.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $902.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kaiser Aluminum

In related news, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of Kaiser Aluminum stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.72, for a total value of $608,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,775 shares in the company, valued at $1,554,973. The trade was a 28.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kaiser Aluminum

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 340.0% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 374 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 389.3% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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