Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $120.00 price target on shares of Kaiser Aluminum and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kaiser Aluminum from $82.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.67.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Performance

NASDAQ KALU opened at $127.05 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Kaiser Aluminum has a 1 year low of $46.81 and a 1 year high of $150.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.52.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $929.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $902.00 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KALU. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 212.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,815 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 3,955 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum during the first quarter valued at about $247,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,971 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 323.6% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 55,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,346,000 after acquiring an additional 42,160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Kaiser Aluminum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kaiser Aluminum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and year‑over‑year growth were strong — Q4 net sales rose ~21% to $929M, beating estimates and signaling healthy demand for Kaiser’s specialty aluminum products. BusinessWire: Q4 & Full Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/upside momentum coverage: Zacks and other outlets have recently highlighted KALU as a momentum/growth pick and one firm upgraded the stock to a “strong‑buy,” which supports longer‑term bullish interest. TickerReport: Zacks upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data in the February snapshot appears erroneous/zero in the published feed (0 shares, short‑interest ratio 0.0 days), so there’s no clear short‑seller pressure signal from that report today.
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed estimates: Q4 EPS of $1.53 came in about $0.03 below consensus, which likely triggered profit‑taking despite the revenue beat — a common near‑term catalyst for the stock decline. Zacks: KALU lags Q4 estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Critical/negative analyst write‑ups: a Seeking Alpha piece flagged a rating downgrade narrative for 2026 estimates, adding to short‑term uncertainty and pressure on the stock. Seeking Alpha: 2026E rating downgrade

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.