Kaiser Aluminum Corporation $KALU Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) by 32.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 101,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 24,853 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Kaiser Aluminum were worth $12,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KALU. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,018,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,410,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 157,078 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,042,000 after acquiring an additional 19,291 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 24.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,701 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,150,000 after acquiring an additional 15,528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 47,236 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,426,000 after acquiring an additional 15,299 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on KALU shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $142.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $170.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $168.25.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Down 9.7%

NASDAQ KALU opened at $163.17 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $176.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.82. Kaiser Aluminum Corporation has a 52 week low of $71.44 and a 52 week high of $195.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.10 and a beta of 1.59.

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

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.83%.

Kaiser Aluminum News Summary

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

Insider Activity at Kaiser Aluminum

In other news, SVP Iulian Gheorghe sold 175 shares of Kaiser Aluminum stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.22, for a total transaction of $30,488.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $774,930.56. The trade was a 3.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.29, for a total value of $866,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 19,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,308,279.39. This trade represents a 20.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,731 shares of company stock valued at $12,529,097. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kaiser Aluminum Profile

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.