Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $168.25.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $158.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $142.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 2.0%

NASDAQ KALU opened at $178.05 on Thursday. Kaiser Aluminum has a 12 month low of $71.44 and a 12 month high of $195.96. The company has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 1.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $174.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 2.50 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $5.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.66 by $2.87. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.12 billion. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 5.49% and a return on equity of 24.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum will post 10.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KALU. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the first quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Kaiser Aluminum in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,659,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 25.5% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Kaiser Aluminum during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kaiser Aluminum during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $207,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kaiser Aluminum

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.