Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Central Puerto Price Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.82. 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 quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last posted its 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). The business had revenue of $185.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.26 million. Central Puerto had a return on equity of 22.76% and a net margin of 56.44%. As a group, research analysts predict that Central Puerto S.A. will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

Central Puerto Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a — dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.3954 per share. This represents a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Central Puerto’s previous — dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Central Puerto’s dividend payout ratio is 14.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ping Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Central Puerto in the second quarter valued at about $390,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Central Puerto in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $351,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Central Puerto in the second quarter valued at approximately $320,000. Truist Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Central Puerto during the second quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Puerto during the third quarter worth $157,000. 2.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.