Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) Issues Earnings Results

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The industrial products company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.13, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $752.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $817.15 million. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 38.74%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 59.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Century Aluminum’s conference call:

• Positive Sentiment: Century completed the Mount Holly expansion and restarted Grundartangi Line 2, bringing all major assets to full or near-full capacity. Mount Holly’s full production benefit will begin appearing in Q3, although post-restart instability is expected to weigh modestly on that quarter.
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 shipments rose 6% sequentially to approximately 131,000 tons, while adjusted EBITDA increased to $327 million on stronger aluminum prices, regional premiums, and higher volumes. Management expects Q3 adjusted EBITDA of $325 million–$345 million.
• Positive Sentiment: The balance sheet strengthened materially, with $388 million of quarter-end cash, $66 million of debt repayment, no revolver borrowings, and cash exceeding total debt by the end of July. Lower growth capital spending and expected working-capital recovery should support stronger second-half cash conversion.
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a favorable aluminum market, citing an expected global deficit of roughly one million tons in 2026, continued deficits in 2027, and historically low inventories. The company also expects Jamalco’s new turbine to reduce energy costs by roughly $20 per ton and provide greater power reliability.
• Neutral Sentiment: Century continues targeting a final investment decision and groundbreaking for its Oklahoma smelter by year-end 2026, with first hot metal expected by late 2029. The project has potential support from a $500 million DOE grant, financing discussions, the Hawesville stake, and a new tariff incentive, but final energy contracts, engineering, financing, and community concerns remain execution milestones.

Century Aluminum Stock Performance

Shares of CENX stock traded up $5.28 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $51.23. The stock had a trading volume of 3,739,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,841,968. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 1.96. Century Aluminum has a twelve month low of $20.91 and a twelve month high of $70.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CENX. Zacks Research lowered Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Century Aluminum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Century Aluminum from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Century Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Finally, B. Riley Financial dropped their price target on Century Aluminum from $86.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Century Aluminum presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Century Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $164,000. ANB Bank bought a new stake in Century Aluminum during the 4th quarter valued at $243,000. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC acquired a new position in Century Aluminum during the 4th quarter worth $243,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth $176,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Century Aluminum in the third quarter worth $208,000. Institutional investors own 61.59% of the company’s stock.

Century Aluminum Company Profile

Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer that develops and operates smelters designed to supply low-carbon, high-purity aluminum products to a range of industrial and commercial markets. Established in 1995, the company has grown to become a significant North American aluminum producer with an expanding international footprint. Century Aluminum is headquartered in the United States and is focused on energy-efficient operations and cost management.

The company’s core operations include three primary aluminum smelting facilities located in Hawesville, Kentucky; Mount Holly, South Carolina; and Grundartangi, Iceland.