CENX

HoldUnloved Quality

Century Aluminum Company · Basic Materials · United States · $3.8B cap · $60.2M/day traded

$34.96 -4.9% · close 12 Oct · scored 14 Oct

StockRank down 1.6 since 13 Oct.

Unloved Quality: Strong and cheap; the market has not turned yet.

62
StockRank
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Report expected 5 Nov: the next-year EPS estimate has fallen 15.6% over the last 13 weeks.

Quality
78
Value
57
Momentum
21

As of 14 Oct 2026, MoatMap's StockRank for Century Aluminum Company (CENX) is 62/100, ranked against 24,000+ stocks in 35 markets (Quality 78, Value 57, Momentum 21, each scored against its sector).

Does StockRank work? Each month we publish how every decile did, whichever way it went. See the record →

P/E (TTM)
6.3x
peers 20.7x
ROE
51.7%
peers 2.9%
D/E
0.3x
peers 0.3x
Dividend %
—
trailing yield

ABOUT CENTURY ALUMINUM COMPANY

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Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer, operating smelters in the United States and Iceland, manufacturing high-purity aluminum for various industrial applications. The company benefits from access to competitive energy sources, particularly hydroelectric power in Iceland, which is a critical factor in aluminum production costs. As a pure-play producer, Century Aluminum's profitability is sensitive to global aluminum prices, yet it offers direct exposure to the base metal commodity market.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)

Year20212022202320242025CAGRTTM2026E2027EFwd CAGR
Revenue—2.8B2.2B2.2B2.5B-3.1%2.7B3.3B4.1B27.9%
EPS-1.85-0.15-0.473.460.42-87.9%5.799.8311.46422.3%
Shares—92.3M92.7M93.3M99.0M+7.2%99.0M———
Debt—527.7M479.2M528.2M548.3M1.3%480.0M———
Equity—399.3M355.6M694.4M805.6M26.4%————
Op CF—25.9M105.6M-24.6M185.0M92.6%340.8M———
Inv CF—-85.5M-57.8M-80.0M-100.2M—————
Fin CF—74.4M-13.0M50.0M15.1M—————
Loading 1Y...
PRICE (1Y) · USD-23.6%
35.038.241.544.748.031 Aug22 Sep12 Oct
SMA 50SMA 200

Price checkNo clear trendExperimental

No clear trend: not near its 52-week low, and not in a steady uptrend.

SwingsVery bumpy

Swung more than 79% of stocks we rank over the past year (64% a year).

How this is worked out

StockRank judges the business. The price check reads only the chart: it is the price side of the Momentum score, in words.

The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.

In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn like this one cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.

What it measures: day-to-day price moves over the past year, as a yearly figure, ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.

What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.

Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.

Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.

Close
$34.96
RSI (14)
26.8
52-Week Range-50.4% from high
Low $25.40High $70.43

SCORE BREAKDOWN

Quality
78
ROIC
35.3%97.0
ROE
51.7%98.4
GP/Assets
22.2%71.1
Op. Margin
28.1%88.2
FCF/Assets
6.7%80.1
Piotroski
781.5
Int. Cover
13.8x65.6
D/E Ratio
0.31x41.1
Current Ratio
2.75x63.3
Value
57
P/E (TTM)
6.3x93.8
EV/EBITDA
8.2x63.5
P/FCF
25.4x45.2
P/B
2.6x37.5
P/S
1.4x54.1
Div Yield
—N/A
Momentum
21
52W High %
50%22.4
RS 6M
-63%3.4
SMA 50/200
0.85x18.1
EPS Rev 4W
-5.1%7.7
EPS Rev 12W
-15.6%9.4
EPS Improve
+98%66.4
Q Growth
—N/A

FUNDAMENTALS

Market Cap
$3.8B
P/E (Forward)
3.2x
Gross Margin
18.9%

SECTOR PEERS

Closest peers in Basic Materials, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of CENX are excluded.

TickerCompanyMkt CapStockRankSignal
CENXCentury Aluminum Company(you)$3.8B62Hold
185.DEAlcoa Corporation$11.3B60Hold
KALUKaiser Aluminum Corporation$2.6B81Strong Buy
UFPIUFP Industries, Inc.$4.5B62Hold
WDFCWD-40 Company$2.7B61Hold
FULH.B. Fuller Company$2.7B64Hold
USLMUnited States Lime & Minerals, Inc.$3.1B57Hold
BCPCBalchem Corporation$5.4B65Buy
SXTSensient Technologies Corporation$5.5B67Buy
BCCBoise Cascade Company$2.7B67Buy

Peer medians: ROE 2.9% · P/E 20.7x · Gross margin 28.1%

Company Deep Dive

Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.

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Century Aluminum Company (CENX): Stock Score Summary

Century Aluminum Company (CENX) has a MoatMap StockRank of 62/100 based on Quality (78/100), Value (57/100), and Momentum (21/100) factor scores. The current signal is HOLD.

Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer, operating smelters in the United States and Iceland, manufacturing high-purity aluminum for various industrial applications. The company benefits from access to competitive energy sources, particularly hydroelectric power in Iceland, which is a critical factor in aluminum production costs. As a pure-play producer, Century Aluminum's profitability is sensitive to global aluminum prices, yet it offers direct exposure to the base metal commodity market.

Key Financial Metrics

Price$34.96
Market Cap$3.8B
P/E (TTM)6.35
P/E (Forward)3.21
Price/Book2.59
Return on Equity51.7%
Return on Invested Capital35.3%
Debt/Equity0.31x
Gross Margin18.9%
Operating Margin28.1%
Revenue Growth19.7%
Free Cash Flow$151M

Century Aluminum Company operates in the Aluminum industry, part of the Basic Materials sector (United States).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Century Aluminum Company’s (CENX) StockRank?
MoatMap’s StockRank for Century Aluminum Company (CENX) is 62/100, with a Hold signal. It is a composite of Quality (78), Value (57), and Momentum (21), each scored against its sector. The composite is then ranked across MoatMap’s universe of 24,000+ stocks.
Does Century Aluminum Company have an economic moat?
Century Aluminum Company (CENX) has a Quality factor score of 78/100. The Quality factor combines ROIC, Piotroski F-Score, and leverage: the financial fingerprints of a durable competitive advantage. A Quality score above 70 typically indicates a company with the characteristics of a moated business.
Is Century Aluminum Company a buy, hold, or sell?
MoatMap’s current signal for Century Aluminum Company (CENX) is Hold, based on a StockRank of 62/100. Signals are derived mechanically from the StockRank composite and should be one input among many; combine with your own thesis on management, competitive position, and valuation.
What sector is Century Aluminum Company in?
Century Aluminum Company (CENX) operates in the Basic Materials sector, specifically the Aluminum industry (United States).