Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Central Puerto S.A. (NYSE:CEPU)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $16.60 and last traded at $16.24, with a volume of 127500 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Bank of America lifted their target price on Central Puerto from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th.

Central Puerto Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.24 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.82.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.19). Central Puerto had a return on equity of 22.76% and a net margin of 56.44%. The company had revenue of $185.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.26 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Central Puerto S.A. will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Central Puerto Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a — dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.3954 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This is a positive change from Central Puerto’s previous — dividend of $0.07. Central Puerto’s dividend payout ratio is 14.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Puerto

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CEPU. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Central Puerto by 62.4% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Central Puerto during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Central Puerto during the third quarter worth $121,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Central Puerto in the third quarter worth $122,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Central Puerto during the third quarter valued at $157,000. 2.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA engages in the electric power generation in Argentina. It operates through three segments: Electric Power Generation from Conventional Sources, Electric Power Generation from Renewable Sources, and Natural Gas Transport and Distribution. The company generates energy through thermal, hydroelectric, and wind farms.