Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on KALU. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $176.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $142.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $168.25.

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

KALU stock opened at $163.17 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $176.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.03. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1-year low of $71.44 and a 1-year high of $195.96.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $5.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $2.87. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 24.71% and a net margin of 5.49%.The business’s revenue was up 52.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum will post 9.11 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kaiser Aluminum news, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief financial officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Keith Harvey sold 3,031 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.13, for a total value of $524,757.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 94,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,327,544.04. The trade was a 3.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 9,555 shares of company stock worth $1,652,604 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 31.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,154,415 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,238,000 after buying an additional 279,231 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the third quarter valued at approximately $13,111,000. Brightline Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $19,296,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 111.7% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 179,781 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,650,000 after acquiring an additional 94,874 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 211.2% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 82,553 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,596,000 after acquiring an additional 56,028 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Kaiser Aluminum

Here are the key news stories impacting Kaiser Aluminum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kaiser Aluminum’s Q2 results topped expectations, with earnings of $5.53 per share well above consensus and revenue also exceeding forecasts, reinforcing a strong operational turnaround. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and earnings-call coverage highlighted strong earnings momentum and an upbeat full-year outlook, which likely helped extend the post-earnings rally in KALU. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of the company’s earnings call emphasized record revenue and strong profitability, suggesting the quarter was not just a beat but also a sign of durable improvement in demand and margins. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Kaiser Aluminum to $169 from $158, but kept an underweight rating, signaling improved valuation expectations while remaining cautious on the stock’s longer-term setup. Article Title

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.