Alcoa Co. (NYSE:AA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Alcoa Co. (NYSE:AA) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $46.55.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Alcoa from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Alcoa to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. B. Riley raised shares of Alcoa to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Alcoa from $55.00 to $51.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Alcoa to $43.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th.

Alcoa Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE AA opened at $33.45 on Friday. Alcoa has a 52-week low of $25.97 and a 52-week high of $47.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $36.64 and a 200-day moving average of $37.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a PE ratio of -209.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 2.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.13. Alcoa had a net margin of 0.50% and a return on equity of 5.54%. On average, analysts anticipate that Alcoa will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Alcoa Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. Alcoa’s payout ratio is currently -250.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alcoa

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Alcoa by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Alcoa during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Alcoa during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Alcoa by 59.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Alcoa during the third quarter worth about $43,000. 82.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.