Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research lowered shares of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group started coverage on Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $176.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.50.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Up 4.5%

NASDAQ KALU opened at $195.63 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31 and a beta of 1.60. Kaiser Aluminum has a 12 month low of $71.44 and a 12 month high of $195.96. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $177.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $3.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $1.78. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $948.50 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 4.14% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.55%.

Insider Transactions at Kaiser Aluminum

In other Kaiser Aluminum news, Director Brett Wilcox sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.44, for a total value of $2,616,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,887 shares in the company, valued at $1,724,688.28. This trade represents a 60.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of Kaiser Aluminum 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,091 shares in the company, valued at $3,308,279.39. This represents a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,731 shares of company stock worth $12,529,097. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KALU. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 389.3% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the first quarter worth $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 408.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 475.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 107.2% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kaiser Aluminum

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.