Century Aluminum Company CENX logged earnings of 47 cents per share for the fourth quarter of 2024, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 30 cents. The figure compares favorably with the prior-year quarter’s earnings of 30 cents per share and earnings of 46 cents per share in the previous quarter.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Century Aluminum Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Century Aluminum Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Century Aluminum Company Quote

CENX’s Revenues and Shipments

The company reported net sales of $631 million, up 23.2% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $560.8 million. Sales also increased 17% sequentially.

The sequential increase in sales in the fourth quarter was due to higher third-party alumina sales, higher aluminum prices and increased regional premiums. This was offset by a 1% decrease in primary aluminum shipments.

Primary aluminum shipments were 166,677 tons, down around 4.1% year over year.

CENX’s Financials

At the end of the quarter, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $32.9 million, down 63% year over year. Net cash used by operating activities was $24.6 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024.

CENX’s Q1 2025 Outlook

The company forecasts first-quarter 2025 adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $75 million to $85 million, with improved metal pricing and regional premiums offset by higher energy and raw materials costs.

CENX’s Stock Price Performance

Shares of Century Aluminum have gained 85.1% in the past year compared with the industry’s 26.9% rise.

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CENX’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

CENX currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are ICL Group Ltd. ICL, Fortuna Mining Corp. FSM and Kronos Worldwide KRO.

ICL is slated to report fourth-quarter results on Feb. 26. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 6 cents per share. ICL beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 18.1%. ICL carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1(Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

Fortuna is scheduled to release fourth-quarter results on March 5. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FSM’s fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 16 cents per share. FSM, a Zacks Rank #2 stock, has gained around 64% in the past year. FSM beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the last four quarters while missing twice, with the average earnings surprise being 53.5%.

Kronos is expected to report fourth-quarter results on March 5. The consensus estimate for KRO’s fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 11 cents per share. KRO, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, beat the consensus estimate in three of the last four quarters while missing once, with the average earnings surprise being 41.7%.




 

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