Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) reported its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on February 19, 2026. The earnings release revealed a significant miss on both top and bottom-line estimates, sending the stock lower in after-hours trading.
Earnings Miss and Revenue Shortfall
The company’s reported figures for the fourth quarter fell substantially short of Wall Street’s expectations. The primary aluminum producer reported non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $0.02, a stark contrast to the analyst consensus estimate of $1.32. Revenue also came in below forecasts.
- Reported Q4 2025 Revenue: $633.7 million
- Analyst Estimate for Q4 2025 Revenue: $658.0 million
- Reported Q4 2025 Non-GAAP EPS: $0.02
- Analyst Estimate for Q4 2025 EPS: $1.32
This dual miss indicates challenges in both sales volume or pricing and profitability during the quarter, overshadowing any operational highlights the company may have detailed.
Market Reaction to the Report
The immediate market reaction was negative, reflecting investor disappointment with the results. Following the earnings announcement, Century Aluminum’s stock traded down approximately 0.95% in the after-market session. This short-term move contrasts with the stock’s recent performance, which had shown modest gains over the past month. The negative after-hours action suggests the earnings report was a catalyst that reset near-term investor sentiment.
Press Release Summary and Forward Outlook
The company’s press release announced its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results, though the full details of operational performance, cost pressures, or specific segment results were not provided in the summary context. Notably, the provided materials do not include a formal financial outlook or guidance from Century Aluminum’s management for the coming periods. The absence of company-provided forecasts makes a direct comparison to analyst estimates for future quarters an exercise in measuring external expectations rather than evaluating management’s confidence.
Analysts, however, have established estimates for the company’s upcoming performance. For the first quarter of 2026, the consensus is for revenue of approximately $676.6 million and EPS of $1.44. For the full 2026 fiscal year, analysts are projecting sales of about $2.84 billion and earnings per share of $4.85.
Valuation and Analyst Perspectives
The significant earnings miss will likely prompt analysts to reassess their financial models and price targets for Century Aluminum. The stock’s valuation, which is often tied to commodity aluminum prices and the company’s ability to manage energy and raw material costs, will be scrutinized in light of the weaker-than-expected quarterly profitability. Investors will be keen to understand the drivers behind the EPS shortfall—whether they were related to operational issues, pricing pressures, or one-time charges—to gauge the sustainability of the trend.
For a detailed breakdown of historical earnings, future estimates, and analyst revisions, readers can review the data available on the Century Aluminum earnings estimates page.
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