Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Stock Price Up 4.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) rose 4.1% on Monday. The company traded as high as $13.14 and last traded at $13.16. 89,711 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 305,870 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.64.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CEPU shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Puerto from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Puerto in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Central Puerto from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.75.

Central Puerto Trading Up 2.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $13.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Central Puerto Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 28th were paid a $1.0758 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 28th. Central Puerto’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Puerto

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in Central Puerto during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Central Puerto in the second quarter worth about $159,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Central Puerto in the first quarter worth about $271,000. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Puerto during the first quarter worth about $1,349,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Central Puerto by 285.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 132,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,235,000 after purchasing an additional 98,380 shares during the period. 2.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA (NYSE: CEPU) is an Argentine electric power generation company. Its principal business is the development, ownership, operation and maintenance of power generation facilities that supply electricity to Argentina’s wholesale electricity market and other customers under applicable market and contractual arrangements.

The company’s generation portfolio includes conventional thermal power plants, hydroelectric facilities and renewable energy projects. Its operations use technologies such as natural-gas-fired and other thermal generation, hydroelectric power, and wind energy, giving Central Puerto exposure to multiple segments of Argentina’s electricity industry.

Central Puerto was formed during the restructuring and privatization of Argentina’s electricity sector and has expanded its portfolio through acquisitions, new construction and investments in generation capacity.