Alcoa (NYSE:AA) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Alcoa Co. (NYSE:AA) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $25.75 and last traded at $25.85, with a volume of 90194 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.33.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AA. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Alcoa from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of Alcoa to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. B. Riley raised shares of Alcoa to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on Alcoa to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alcoa from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alcoa presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.92.

Alcoa Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -156.68, a PEG ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 2.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $34.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.04.

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.13. Alcoa had a return on equity of 5.54% and a net margin of 0.50%. Equities research analysts expect that Alcoa Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alcoa Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. Alcoa’s dividend payout ratio is currently -250.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alcoa

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Alcoa by 64.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 26,206 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,011,000 after buying an additional 10,314 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Alcoa by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 628,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,233,000 after purchasing an additional 36,869 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Alcoa by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,208 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alcoa by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 17,953 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 2,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Alcoa by 318.9% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 349,341 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,479,000 after purchasing an additional 265,941 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.39% of the company’s stock.

Alcoa Company Profile

Alcoa Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells bauxite, alumina, and aluminum products in the United States, Spain, Australia, Iceland, Norway, Brazil, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Alumina and Aluminum. It engages in bauxite mining operations; and processes bauxite into alumina and sells it to customers who process it into industrial chemical products, as well as aluminum smelting and casting businesses.