Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Central Puerto Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 2.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $13.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 1.21.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $185.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $200.26 million. Central Puerto had a return on equity of 22.76% and a net margin of 56.44%. Equities analysts predict that Central Puerto S.A. will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

Central Puerto Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Puerto

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Central Puerto in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Puerto during the third quarter valued at about $121,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Central Puerto during the third quarter worth about $122,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Central Puerto in the 3rd quarter worth about $157,000. Institutional investors own 2.97% of the company’s stock.

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.