Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Issues Earnings Results

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.64, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $248.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $243.48 million. Central Puerto had a return on equity of 12.65% and a net margin of 32.17%.

Central Puerto Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Central Puerto stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.20. 96,116 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 356,704. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.77. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.66. The company has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 0.83. Central Puerto has a 52 week low of $7.43 and a 52 week high of $18.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Puerto

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Central Puerto by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,782,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,504,000 after acquiring an additional 359,121 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Central Puerto by 211.7% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 191,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 130,240 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Central Puerto during the second quarter worth $1,149,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Central Puerto by 115.0% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 89,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 47,864 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC increased its position in Central Puerto by 99.0% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 86,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 43,025 shares during the period. 2.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CEPU has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Puerto in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Central Puerto from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.50.

About Central Puerto

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.