Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Stock Price Up 7.2% – Should You Buy?

Central Puerto S.A. (NYSE:CEPU)’s stock price was up 7.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $15.68 and last traded at $15.54. Approximately 488,008 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 49% from the average daily volume of 328,624 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Central Puerto from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th.

Central Puerto Stock Up 6.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a PE ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.19). Central Puerto had a net margin of 56.44% and a return on equity of 22.76%. The business had revenue of $185.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.26 million. Analysts expect that Central Puerto S.A. will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Central Puerto Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a — dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.3954 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Central Puerto’s previous — dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Central Puerto’s payout ratio is 14.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Central Puerto

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in Central Puerto during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Central Puerto by 62.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Central Puerto during the third quarter worth $121,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Central Puerto during the 3rd quarter valued at $122,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto in the 3rd quarter worth $157,000. 2.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Central Puerto

Central Puerto SA engages in the electric power generation in Argentina. It operates through three segments: Electric Power Generation from Conventional Sources, Electric Power Generation from Renewable Sources, and Natural Gas Transport and Distribution. The company generates energy through thermal, hydroelectric, and wind farms.