Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

KALU has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Research raised Kaiser Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kaiser Aluminum from $82.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kaiser Aluminum in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.33.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of KALU opened at $129.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03 and a beta of 1.42. Kaiser Aluminum has a 12-month low of $46.81 and a 12-month high of $150.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $126.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.03). Kaiser Aluminum had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 3.34%.The company had revenue of $929.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $902.00 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KALU. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 3,127 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 630 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kaiser Aluminum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded KALU from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding bullish analyst support that can attract buyers. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue showed strength — revenue was reported above expectations and was up ~21% year-over-year, supporting outlook for demand recovery in industrial markets. Q4 Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Broad industrial-sector momentum (Zacks notes XLI strength) is lifting peer sentiment and interest in KALU as investors rotate into cyclical names. Sector Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show anomalous/zero values (NaN/0 shares) and a 0.0-day ratio — data appears unreliable and shouldn’t be treated as a clear signal. (raw short-interest entries)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and research pieces are discussing valuation: Zacks published a piece asking whether KALU is undervalued — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Valuation Discussion
• Negative Sentiment: KALU missed EPS expectations for Q4 ($1.53 vs. consensus ~$1.56), which pressured sentiment and prompted early selling. EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Shares gapped down after the earnings release (reported by DefenseWorld), reflecting an immediate negative market reaction to the mixed print. Gap Down Report
• Negative Sentiment: Some bearish commentary and a Seeking Alpha piece flagging a rating downgrade and other concerns, which may add selling pressure for more cautious investors. Rating Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $125 but kept an “equal weight” stance (signal that upside is limited relative to current levels), which is not a strong buy signal. Wells Fargo Note

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

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.