Legato Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Kaiser Aluminum Corporation $KALU

Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $490,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,018,000. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 127.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 34,456 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,659,000 after purchasing an additional 19,294 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Omaha bought a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the 3rd quarter valued at $603,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 1,096.2% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 22,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,732,000 after purchasing an additional 20,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the 3rd quarter valued at $908,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 5.7%

Kaiser Aluminum stock opened at $185.55 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Kaiser Aluminum Corporation has a 12-month low of $70.39 and a 12-month high of $186.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $149.57 and its 200 day moving average is $129.03. The company has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21 and a beta of 1.60.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $3.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $1.78. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $948.50 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 4.14%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kaiser Aluminum Corporation will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Keith Harvey sold 47,001 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.09, for a total value of $8,229,405.09. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 97,339 shares in the company, valued at $17,043,085.51. This trade represents a 32.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.29, for a total transaction of $866,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 19,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,308,279.39. The trade was a 20.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 71,731 shares of company stock worth $12,529,097 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KALU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $176.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.50.

Kaiser Aluminum 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.