Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $152.72 and last traded at $146.08, with a volume of 1261410 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $143.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEU has been the subject of a number of research reports. HC Wainwright assumed coverage on Centrus Energy in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. William Blair assumed coverage on Centrus Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Centrus Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.00.

Centrus Energy Stock Up 8.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.86 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $88.98 and a 200-day moving average of $83.60.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $1.68. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 16.56% and a return on equity of 84.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.38) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 67.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP John M. A. Donelson sold 3,732 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.31, for a total transaction of $359,428.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin J. Harrill sold 1,728 shares of Centrus Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.00, for a total value of $217,728.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Centrus Energy by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,947,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Centrus Energy by 77.4% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 440 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Centrus Energy by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC now owns 10,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $676,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Centrus Energy by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Centrus Energy by 4.6% in the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 4,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 49.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Centrus Energy

Centrus Energy Corp. supplies nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry in the United States, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. The LEU segment sells separative work units (SWU) components of LEU; natural uranium hexafluoride, uranium concentrates, and uranium conversion; and enriched uranium products to utilities that operate nuclear power plants.