Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Trading Up 7.4% – Still a Buy?

Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) shares rose 7.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $17.47 and last traded at $17.6740. Approximately 385,495 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the average daily volume of 304,630 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CEPU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Central Puerto from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Puerto in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Central Puerto in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.50 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.50.

Central Puerto Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $16.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 1.06.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter. Central Puerto had a net margin of 28.24% and a return on equity of 15.01%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Central Puerto by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,782,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,504,000 after buying an additional 359,121 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,736,000. Ping Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Central Puerto by 29.3% in the second quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 119,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 27,000 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Puerto in the second quarter worth $1,149,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of Central Puerto by 115.0% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 89,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 47,864 shares in the last quarter. 2.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA (NYSE: CEPU) is Argentina’s leading private power generation company, managing a diversified portfolio of thermal and renewable energy facilities across the country. Established following the privatization of the state-owned electricity company in the early 1990s, Central Puerto develops, operates and maintains a mix of combined-cycle and open-cycle gas turbine plants, as well as hydroelectric and renewable installations. The company’s thermal assets provide baseload and flexible generation capacity, while its renewable portfolio includes wind farms and solar parks that support Argentina’s clean energy objectives.

Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Central Puerto serves the national wholesale electricity market through long-term contracts with distribution companies and major industrial clients.