Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on KALU. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kaiser Aluminum from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.67.

Kaiser Aluminum Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KALU opened at $138.03 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 2.95 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.36. Kaiser Aluminum has a one year low of $52.53 and a one year high of $150.00.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $929.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $902.00 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 12.69%. Kaiser Aluminum’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. Research analysts predict that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 24th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio is 45.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kaiser Aluminum news, CFO Neal E. West sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.72, for a total value of $608,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,554,973. This trade represents a 28.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 151,511 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $17,403,000 after purchasing an additional 25,969 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 148.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 13,274 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,525,000 after purchasing an additional 7,927 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 81.8% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 11,747 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 4,039 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Kaiser Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth $2,028,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.