Short Interest in Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Grows By 9.5%

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) saw a large increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,470,000 shares, an increase of 9.5% from the May 31st total of 6,820,000 shares. Currently, 14.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,430,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days.

Century Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of CENX traded up $1.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $20.19. 2,770,380 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,423,740. The company has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.53 and a beta of 2.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $17.05 and its 200 day moving average is $14.06. Century Aluminum has a fifty-two week low of $5.70 and a fifty-two week high of $21.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.20). Century Aluminum had a net margin of 10.72% and a return on equity of 4.27%. The firm had revenue of $489.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $520.30 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Century Aluminum will post 0.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on CENX shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Century Aluminum from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com cut Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Century Aluminum

In other Century Aluminum news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.21, for a total transaction of $972,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 62,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,012,265.87. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Century Aluminum by 13,746.2% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,787 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Century Aluminum by 199.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,918 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum during the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 7,779.8% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 6,924 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Century Aluminum in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.59% of the company’s stock.

Century Aluminum Company Profile

Century Aluminum Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production of standard-grade and value-added primary aluminum products in the United States and Iceland. It also owns and operates an alumina production facility in Iceland, and a carbon anode production facility in the Netherlands.