Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Upgraded by Wolfe Research to “Peer Perform” Rating

Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note published on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday.

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KALU opened at $55.50 on Friday. Kaiser Aluminum has a twelve month low of $46.81 and a twelve month high of $102.42. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $893.55 million, a PE ratio of 19.34 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $65.88 and its 200 day moving average is $71.68.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $765.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business earned $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.55%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.32%.

Institutional Trading of Kaiser Aluminum

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth $3,878,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 447,723 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,461,000 after purchasing an additional 49,948 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 101.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 27,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 13,813 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 103.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 431,980 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,355,000 after buying an additional 219,827 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 196.0% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 8,934 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $629,000 after buying an additional 5,916 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.