CENX vs KALU: Century Aluminum and Kaiser Aluminum compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Century Aluminum is the larger company, worth $3.2B, about 1.4 times Kaiser Aluminum.
- Kaiser Aluminum grew revenue faster over the last year (+52.7% vs +19.7%).
- Century Aluminum keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (25.3% vs 8.2%).
- On earnings, Century Aluminum is the cheaper stock (9.7x vs 15.0x).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | CENX | KALU |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $3.2B | $2.2B |
| Share price | $36.76 | $151.51 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $2.5B | $3.4B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $85M | -$26M |
| Revenue growth, last year | +19.7% | +52.7% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +3.4% | +6.5% |
| Operating margin | 25.3% | 8.2% |
| Net margin | 22.6% | 5.5% |
| Return on equity | 43.0% | 24.1% |
| P/E (trailing) | 9.66x | 15.0x |
| Price / free cash flow | 37.9x | — |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.8x | 6.88x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 13.4% | — |
| Dividend yield | — | 2.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.96x | 2.08x |
| Fundamental grade | B | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 4 | 5 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 0 | 0 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Century Aluminum
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $2.2B | -$148M | 3.0% |
| 2022 | $2.8B | -$60M | -5.4% |
| 2023 | $2.2B | $11M | 1.3% |
| 2024 | $2.2B | -$107M | 4.9% |
| 2025 | $2.5B | $85M | 6.3% |
Kaiser Aluminum
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $2.6B | $21M | 2.5% |
| 2022 | $3.4B | -$206M | 0.12% |
| 2023 | $3.1B | $69M | 4.0% |
| 2024 | $3.0B | -$14M | 3.7% |
| 2025 | $3.4B | -$26M | 5.6% |
Where the revenue comes from
Century Aluminum · by products, 2025
Aluminum$2.2B89%
Alumina$284M11%
Kaiser Aluminum · by products, 2025
Packaging$1.5B44%
Aero/HS Products$838M25%
GE Products$759M23%
Automotive Extrusions$286M8%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open CENX in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Century Aluminum or Kaiser Aluminum?
Century Aluminum (CENX), at $3.2B against $2.2B.
Is CENX or KALU cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Century Aluminum (9.66x) is cheaper than Kaiser Aluminum (15.0x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, CENX or KALU?
Kaiser Aluminum: revenue grew +52.7% over the last year, against +19.7%.
More comparisons
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.