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

Alcoa Co. (NYSE:AA) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three 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. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.17.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alcoa

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Alcoa by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 8,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Alcoa by 77.1% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Alcoa by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 52,624 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of Alcoa by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 6,521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Alcoa by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,469 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. 82.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alcoa Stock Performance

Alcoa stock opened at $33.50 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -209.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 2.55. Alcoa has a 1-year low of $27.12 and a 1-year high of $47.77. The company’s 50-day moving average is $35.23 and its 200 day moving average is $38.09.

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.04 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts forecast that Alcoa will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Alcoa Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Alcoa’s dividend payout ratio is currently -250.00%.

About Alcoa

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.