Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Shares Up 7.4% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) traded up 7.4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $17.47 and last traded at $17.6740. 385,495 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 27% from the average session volume of 304,630 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CEPU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Central Puerto in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.50 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Puerto in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Central Puerto from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.50.

Central Puerto Stock Down 1.2%

The stock has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.43 and its 200 day moving average is $12.94.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Central Puerto had a return on equity of 15.01% and a net margin of 28.24%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CEPU. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Central Puerto by 4,431.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 30,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 29,866 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in Central Puerto by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $551,000 after purchasing an additional 21,673 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Central Puerto in the 1st quarter valued at $434,000. Ping Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Central Puerto by 29.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 119,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 27,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,736,000. 2.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA (NYSE: CEPU) is Argentina’s leading private power generation company, managing a diversified portfolio of thermal and renewable energy facilities across the country. Established following the privatization of the state-owned electricity company in the early 1990s, Central Puerto develops, operates and maintains a mix of combined-cycle and open-cycle gas turbine plants, as well as hydroelectric and renewable installations. The company’s thermal assets provide baseload and flexible generation capacity, while its renewable portfolio includes wind farms and solar parks that support Argentina’s clean energy objectives.

Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Central Puerto serves the national wholesale electricity market through long-term contracts with distribution companies and major industrial clients.