Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $15.28 Million Stock Holdings in Century Aluminum Company $CENX

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) by 35.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 260,426 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 140,211 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Century Aluminum were worth $15,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Century Aluminum by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 39,001 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $724,000 after acquiring an additional 7,051 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in Century Aluminum in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Century Aluminum by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,186 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,098,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Century Aluminum by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 124,001 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,301,000 after acquiring an additional 21,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Century Aluminum by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 147,046 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,650,000 after acquiring an additional 9,721 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.59% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CENX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $75.00 price target on shares of Century Aluminum and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. B. Riley Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Century Aluminum from $86.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Century Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Century Aluminum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.00.

Century Aluminum Stock Up 2.3%

Century Aluminum stock opened at $46.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 1.96. Century Aluminum Company has a 1-year low of $20.21 and a 1-year high of $70.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.92.

About Century Aluminum

Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer that develops and operates smelters designed to supply low-carbon, high-purity aluminum products to a range of industrial and commercial markets. Established in 1995, the company has grown to become a significant North American aluminum producer with an expanding international footprint. Century Aluminum is headquartered in the United States and is focused on energy-efficient operations and cost management.

The company’s core operations include three primary aluminum smelting facilities located in Hawesville, Kentucky; Mount Holly, South Carolina; and Grundartangi, Iceland.