Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ:KALU) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $132.74 and last traded at $132.8160, with a volume of 97704 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $127.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KALU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kaiser Aluminum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Kaiser Aluminum from $82.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued 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 stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kaiser Aluminum has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.67.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $1.06. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 10.67%. The company had revenue of $843.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $908.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kaiser Aluminum Corporation will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 23rd. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Blain Tiffany sold 8,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.92, for a total transaction of $812,971.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,467,748. This represents a 24.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kaiser Aluminum

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KALU. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 20.0% during 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 period. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Kaiser Aluminum by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 4,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in Kaiser Aluminum by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,029 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 7.4% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. 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.