CENX (Century Aluminum Co) Altman Z2-Score: 1.94 (As of Jul. 25, 2026)

Author: Vera Yuan Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Director of Data and Quant Analytics at GuruFocus
Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Reviewed by: Charlie Tian Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Founder & CEO of GuruFocus
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.

CENX Century Aluminum Co CENX
63 GF Score
Price $46.21
GF Value $22.20
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 6 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Century Aluminum Co Altman Z2-Score?

Century Aluminum Co CENX -0.37% 63 Altman Z2-Score is 1.94 as of Jul. 25, 2026. GuruFocus rates CENX with a GF Score™ of 63/100 and a GF Value™ of $22.20 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,608 Metals & Mining companies, Century Aluminum Co ranks worse than 50.96% on this metric.

Altman Z2-Score, also known as Z"-Score, is used to predict the likelihood that a non-manufacturing company (excluding property/financial company) will face bankruptcy within a two-year period.

Century Aluminum Co has a Altman Z2-Score of 1.94, indicating it is in Grey Zones. This implies that Century Aluminum Co is in some kind of financial stress. If it is below 1.1, the company may face bankrupcy risk.

The zones of discrimination were as such:

When Altman Z2-Score <= 1.1, it is in Distress Zones.
When Altman Z2-Score >= 2.6, it is in Safe Zones.
When Altman Z2-Score is between 1.1 and 2.6, it is in Grey Zones.

The historical rank and industry rank for Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score or its related term are showing as below:

CENX' s Altman Z2-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -5.18   Med: -1.76   Max: 1.94
Current: 1.94

During the past 13 years, Century Aluminum Co's highest Altman Z2-Score was 1.94. The lowest was -5.18. And the median was -1.76.


Century Aluminum Co  (NAS:CENX) Altman Z2-Score Explanation

The original Z-Score model was based on publicly traded manufacturing companies while the Z2-Score, also known as Z"-score can be used for any type of company excluding property/financial companies. Both Z-Score and Z2-Score describes the financial health of a company, and its likelihood of financial distress.

X1: The Working Capital/Total Assets (WC/TA) ratio is a measure of the net liquid assets of the firm relative to the total capitalization. Working capital is defined as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Ordinarily, a firm experiencing consistent operating losses will have shrinking current assets in relation to total assets. Altman found this one proved to be the most valuable liquidity ratio comparing with the current ratio and the quick ratio. This is however the least significant of the five factors.

X2: Retained Earnings/Total Assets: the RE/TA ratio measures the leverage of a firm. Retained earnings is the account which reports the total amount of reinvested earnings and/or losses of a firm over its entire life. Those firms with high RE, relative to TA, have financed their assets through retention of profits and have not utilized as much debt.

X3, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets (EBIT/TA): This ratio is a measure of the true productivity of the firm's assets, independent of any tax or leverage factors. Since a firm's ultimate existence is based on the earning power of its assets, this ratio appears to be particularly appropriate for studies dealing with corporate failure. This ratio continually outperforms other profitability measures, including cash flow.

X4_2, Net Worth (Total Stockholders Equity - Preferred Stock)/Total Liabilities (NW/TL): it compares a company’s stock net worth with its total liabilities and can be used to assess the extent of its reliance on debt.

Read more about Altman Z2-Score, the original research on Z-Score and the additional research on Z2-Score.


Be Aware

Altman Z2-Score does not apply to financial companies.


Century Aluminum Co Altman Z2-Score Related Terms


Century Aluminum Co Altman Z2-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Century Aluminum Co Altman Z2-Score Chart

Century Aluminum Co Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Altman Z2-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -4.08 -2.48 -3.40 0.17 -0.10

Century Aluminum Co Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Altman Z2-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -0.41 -0.55 -0.32 -0.10 1.94

CENX vs CSTM, KALU, AA: Altman Z2-Score Comparison

For the Aluminum subindustry, Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Altman Z2-Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Century Aluminum Co Altman Z2-Score vs Metals & Mining Industry

For the Metals & Mining industry and Basic Materials sector, Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score falls into.


CENX
63GF Score
Century Aluminum Co CENX
Altman Z2-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Century Aluminum Co Altman Z2-Score Calculation

Altman Z-Score model is an accurate forecaster of failure up to two years prior to distress. It can be considered the assessment of the distress of industrial corporations.

Z2-Score, also known as Z"-Score is the Z-Score for non-manufacturing companies excluding property/financial companies.

Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score for today is calculated with this formula:

Z=6.56*X1+3.26*X2+6.72*X3+1.05*X4_2
=6.56*0.2674+3.26*-0.4852+6.72*0.1321+1.05*0.8398
=1.94

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency. GuruFocus does not calculate Altman Z2-Score when X4_2 value is 0.

Trailing Twelve Months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026:
Total Assets was $2,655 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $1,255 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $545 Mil.
Retained Earnings was $-1,288 Mil.
Pre-Tax Income was 328.8 + -23.7 + 9.5 + -10.4 = $304 Mil.
Interest Expense was -10.5 + -11.2 + -13 + -11.7 = $-46 Mil.
Total Liabilities was $1,370 Mil.

* Note that for stock reported semi-annually or annually, GuruFocus uses latest annual data as the TTM data.

X1=Working Capital/Total Assets
=(Total Current Assets - Total Current Liabilities)/Total Assets
=(1254.5 - 544.7)/2654.9
=0.2674

X2=Retained Earnings/Total Assets
=-1288.1/2654.9
=-0.4852

X3=Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets
=(Pre-Tax Income - Interest Expense)/Total Assets
=(304.2 - -46.4)/2654.9
=0.1321

X4_2=Net Worth/Total Liabilities
=(Total Stockholders Equity - Preferred Stock)/Total Liabilities
=(1150.9 - 0)/1370.4
=0.8398

The zones of discrimination were as such:

Distress Zones - 1.1 < Grey Zones < 2.6 - Safe Zones

Century Aluminum Co has a Altman Z2-Score of 1.94 indicating it is in Grey Zones.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Altman Z2-Score →
What does a Altman Z2-Score of 1.94 mean?
Century Aluminum Co (CENX) has a Altman Z2-Score of 1.94 as of Jul. 25, 2026. Z2-Score is the Z-Score for non-manufacturing companies excluding property/financial companies, which measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Century Aluminum Co and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Century Aluminum Co ranks #1329 out of 2608 companies in the Metals & Mining industry, placing it in the top 51%.
Is Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score too high?
Century Aluminum Co's current Altman Z2-Score is 1.94. The Metals & Mining industry median Altman Z2-Score is 2.18. Century Aluminum Co's value of 1.94 is 11% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Century Aluminum Co ranks #1329 out of 2608 companies in the Metals & Mining industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Century Aluminum Co has a GF Score™ of 63/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Century Aluminum Co's Altman Z2-Score compare to CSTM and KALU?
According to the Metals & Mining industry distribution chart, Century Aluminum Co ranks #1329 out of 2608 companies for Altman Z2-Score. This places Century Aluminum Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Altman Z2-Score is 2.18. Century Aluminum Co's value of 1.94 is 11% below this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Altman Z2-Score for a Metals & Mining company?
The median Altman Z2-Score among Metals & Mining companies is 2.18, based on 2,608 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Altman Z2-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Altman Z2-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Century Aluminum Co's current Altman Z2-Score of 1.94 is 11% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Altman Z2-Score mean?
A high Altman Z2-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Z2-Score is the Z-Score for non-manufacturing companies excluding property/financial companies, which measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Century Aluminum Co and its competitors. For the Metals & Mining industry, the median Altman Z2-Score is 2.18 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Century Aluminum Co's current Altman Z2-Score is 1.94. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Century Aluminum Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Century Aluminum Co (CENX) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $22.20, compared to a current price of $46.21 — trading 108.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Altman Z2-Score is 1.94 and 11% below the Metals & Mining industry median of 2.18. Century Aluminum Co's overall GF Score™ is 63/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Altman Z2-Score calculated?
Altman Z2-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Century Aluminum Co (CENX), the current Altman Z2-Score is 1.94 as of Jul. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Century Aluminum Co (CENX) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Century Aluminum Co stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $46.21 is trading 108.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of $22.20. GuruFocus considers Century Aluminum Co to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for CENX:

  • Altman Z2-Score: 1.94
  • GF Value™: $22.20 vs. price of $46.21 (108.2% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 63/100 with 6 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 11% below the Metals & Mining median (#1329 of 2608)

No single metric tells the full story. See the CENX stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Century Aluminum Co Business Description

Other Exchanges EY3:Germany
Address One South Wacker Drive, Suite 1000, Chicago, IL, USA, 60606
Century Aluminum Co produces primary aluminum standard grade and value-added products. The firm operates smelter facilities in the United States and Iceland. The majority of revenue is generated from Glencore, which agreed to purchase nearly all of Century Aluminum's North American production. The company produces high purity aluminum, standard-grade aluminum sow and tee bars, and value-added billet and foundry products. The company also owns a carbon anode production facility in the Netherlands.
63GF Score

Get the complete analysis for CENX

Altman Z2-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$46.21
Price
$22.20
GF Value