CENX
Century Aluminum Company Materials - Aluminum Investor Relations →
Century Aluminum Company (CENX) closed at $52.40 as of 2026-02-02, trading 238.8% above its 200-week moving average of $15.46. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 195.6% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 77, CENX is in overbought territory.
Over the past 1510 weeks of data, CENX has crossed below its 200-week moving average 24 times. On average, these episodes lasted 33 weeks. Historically, investors who bought CENX at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +2.1%.
With a market cap of $4.9 billion, CENX is a mid-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 0.5%. Return on equity stands at 7.5%. The stock trades at 6.6x book value.
Share count has increased 2.3% over three years, indicating dilution.
Over the past 29 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in CENX would have grown to $332, compared to $1512 for the S&P 500. CENX has returned 4.2% annualized vs 9.8% for the index, underperforming the broader market over this period.
Free cash flow has been volatile over the past several years, making the quality of earnings harder to assess.
Growth of $100: CENX vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After CENX Crosses Below the Line?
Across 24 historical episodes, buying CENX when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +3.0% after 12 months (median +7.0%), compared to +7.8% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 50% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +26.6% vs +18.5% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment CENX crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
CENX has crossed below its 200-week MA 24 times with an average 1-year return of +2.1% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1997 | Jul 1997 | 4 | 7.6% | +0.5% | +283.0% |
| Sep 1997 | Sep 1997 | 2 | 7.0% | -30.2% | +269.5% |
| Oct 1997 | Feb 1998 | 16 | 20.8% | -41.6% | +266.5% |
| Mar 1998 | Apr 1998 | 5 | 6.6% | -49.6% | +292.4% |
| May 1998 | Dec 1999 | 84 | 64.3% | -40.5% | +306.4% |
| Jan 2000 | Feb 2000 | 1 | 0.3% | +29.0% | +332.3% |
| May 2000 | Jul 2000 | 7 | 16.7% | +90.9% | +417.8% |
| Aug 2000 | Aug 2000 | 2 | 6.1% | +29.8% | +363.1% |
| Oct 2000 | Jan 2001 | 15 | 42.2% | -1.5% | +390.2% |
| Sep 2001 | Nov 2001 | 10 | 35.6% | -6.8% | +590.7% |
| Feb 2002 | Feb 2002 | 3 | 4.3% | -50.6% | +354.1% |
| Jul 2002 | Sep 2003 | 63 | 51.5% | -20.3% | +388.5% |
| Sep 2008 | Jan 2014 | 280 | 97.2% | -76.7% | +27.1% |
| May 2015 | Jan 2017 | 85 | 73.6% | -41.0% | +368.7% |
| Apr 2017 | Apr 2017 | 1 | 1.1% | +55.9% | +350.2% |
| Jul 2018 | Nov 2020 | 124 | 72.8% | -43.0% | +304.0% |
| Dec 2020 | Dec 2020 | 2 | 4.5% | +28.0% | +377.7% |
| Jan 2021 | Feb 2021 | 1 | 10.9% | +60.3% | +437.4% |
| Aug 2021 | Aug 2021 | 1 | 0.0% | -23.6% | +387.9% |
| Jun 2022 | Jan 2023 | 31 | 49.6% | +5.5% | +467.7% |
| Feb 2023 | Feb 2023 | 2 | 2.4% | +2.0% | +412.7% |
| Mar 2023 | Dec 2023 | 41 | 43.6% | +13.7% | +419.8% |
| Jan 2024 | Mar 2024 | 8 | 10.1% | +77.4% | +381.2% |
| Sep 2024 | Sep 2024 | 1 | 1.4% | +82.6% | +333.1% |
| Average | 33 | — | +2.1% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02