Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Performance

KALU opened at $70.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.53 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $70.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.21. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1 year low of $63.44 and a 1 year high of $102.42.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $765.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $752.00 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 6.25% and a net margin of 1.55%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 107.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 497.2% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 93.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 87.1% in the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kaiser Aluminum

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in manufacture and sale of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products in the United States and internationally. It offers rolled, extruded, and drawn aluminum products used for aerospace and defense, aluminum beverage and food packaging, automotive and general engineering products.