Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Shares Down 6.4% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Centrus Energy shares fell 6.4% to about $169.81 on lower-than-average trading volume, bringing the stock below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $236.79, despite several firms recently cutting their targets.
• The company beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.77 in EPS versus the $0.74 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 14% year over year to $176.1 million.

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) dropped 6.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $169.50 and last traded at $169.8090. 367,729 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 913,774 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Centrus Energy in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays began coverage on Centrus Energy in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $207.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on Centrus Energy from $240.00 to $205.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Centrus Energy from $246.00 to $216.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $188.00 price target on shares of Centrus Energy in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $236.79.

Centrus Energy Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.34, a P/E/G ratio of 22.71 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 5.39, a quick ratio of 4.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $175.20 and a 200-day moving average of $184.74.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $176.10 million during the quarter. Centrus Energy had a return on equity of 7.06% and a net margin of 10.23%.The business's revenue was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Centrus Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LEU. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Centrus Energy during the second quarter worth $1,356,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 261.4% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 4,756 shares of the company's stock valued at $798,000 after buying an additional 3,440 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Centrus Energy in the second quarter worth about $348,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 5.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the company's stock worth $442,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Centrus Energy by 172.4% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 237 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. 49.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Centrus Energy

Centrus Energy Corp is a U.S.-based supplier of nuclear fuel and enrichment services, specializing in the production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) for commercial power reactors and highly enriched uranium for naval propulsion. Through its Centrus Global subsidiary, the company provides technical support, fuel fabrication services and recycled uranium products to utilities operating light-water reactors. Centrus also develops advanced centrifuge technologies aimed at improving enrichment efficiency and reducing the cost of nuclear fuel.

Originally founded as the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) in 1998 following a spin-out from the U.S.

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