Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU)

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 3,352 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 24% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,697 put options.

Centrus Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LEU opened at $146.08 on Tuesday. Centrus Energy has a fifty-two week low of $33.51 and a fifty-two week high of $152.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.12 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $85.56 and a 200-day moving average of $82.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 2.93 and a quick ratio of 2.46.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $1.68. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 16.56% and a return on equity of 84.09%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.38) earnings per share. Centrus Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 67.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Centrus Energy will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. William Blair assumed coverage on Centrus Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI started coverage on Centrus Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Centrus Energy to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Craig Hallum started coverage on Centrus Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $129.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Centrus Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Centrus Energy news, CFO Kevin J. Harrill sold 1,728 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $217,728.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP John M. A. Donelson sold 3,732 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.31, for a total value of $359,428.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centrus Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Centrus Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Centrus Energy during the first quarter worth $28,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 77.4% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Centrus Energy during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 589.5% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. 49.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centrus Energy Company Profile

Centrus Energy Corp. supplies nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry in the United States, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. The LEU segment sells separative work units (SWU) components of LEU; natural uranium hexafluoride, uranium concentrates, and uranium conversion; and enriched uranium products to utilities that operate nuclear power plants.