Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Upgraded at Wolfe Research

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) was upgraded by Wolfe Research from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

KALU opened at $52.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $841.55 million, a P/E ratio of 18.21 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $66.17 and a 200-day moving average of $71.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.44. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1-year low of $46.81 and a 1-year high of $102.42.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.30). Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 1.55% and a return on equity of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $765.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $752.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 497.2% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 87.1% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 784 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter worth about $121,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kaiser Aluminum

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in manufacture and sale of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products in the United States and internationally. It offers rolled, extruded, and drawn aluminum products used for aerospace and defense, aluminum beverage and food packaging, automotive and general engineering products.