Short Interest in Kaiser Aluminum Co. (NASDAQ:KALU) Increases By 27.4%

Kaiser Aluminum Co. (NASDAQ:KALU) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 574,500 shares, a growth of 27.4% from the February 28th total of 450,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 106,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Kaiser Aluminum Stock Up 0.4 %

Kaiser Aluminum stock traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.79. The stock had a trading volume of 185,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 133,901. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $69.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.81. Kaiser Aluminum has a 12 month low of $57.66 and a 12 month high of $102.42. The stock has a market cap of $962.62 million, a P/E ratio of 20.83 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56.

Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $765.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $752.00 million. Kaiser Aluminum had a net margin of 1.55% and a return on equity of 6.25%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Kaiser Aluminum will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Kaiser Aluminum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.15%. Kaiser Aluminum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 107.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kaiser Aluminum

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Kaiser Aluminum during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 497.2% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in Kaiser Aluminum during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in Kaiser Aluminum by 93.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kaiser Aluminum by 87.1% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Kaiser Aluminum from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 23rd.

Kaiser Aluminum Company Profile

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in manufacture and sale of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum mill products in the United States and internationally. It offers rolled, extruded, and drawn aluminum products used for aerospace and defense, aluminum beverage and food packaging, automotive and general engineering products.