Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Separately, Wolfe Research raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Kaiser Aluminum Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of KALU stock opened at $53.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of $64.14 and a 200 day moving average of $71.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $867.15 million, a PE ratio of 18.77 and a beta of 1.32. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1-year low of $46.81 and a 1-year high of $102.42.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.30). Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 6.25% and a net margin of 1.55%. The firm had revenue of $765.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $752.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Kaiser Aluminum’s payout ratio is 107.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 497.2% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 93.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 87.1% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 784 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $121,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.