Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Shares of Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $77.83, but opened at $81.63. Centrus Energy shares last traded at $80.55, with a volume of 232,588 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LEU shares. Roth Capital cut Centrus Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Centrus Energy from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their price target on shares of Centrus Energy from $88.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $92.00.

Centrus Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.17 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.48). The company had revenue of $57.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $56.50 million. Centrus Energy had a net margin of 19.24% and a return on equity of 138.38%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Centrus Energy Corp. will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centrus Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Centrus Energy by 22.2% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 124,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,822,000 after purchasing an additional 22,605 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Centrus Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $281,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Centrus Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $233,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Centrus Energy by 17.3% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 5,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,000 after buying an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Centrus Energy by 53.8% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 148,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,338,000 after purchasing an additional 51,836 shares during the last quarter. 49.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.