Shares of Foothill Ranch-based Kaiser Aluminum Corp. fell Friday, a day after the company warned of a charge-driven loss for the recently ended quarter and said it reworked the terms of a credit line.
The shares were down 4% in midday New York trading on a market value of about $470 million.
Kaiser, which shapes aluminum into custom pieces for the defense and auto industries, said it expects a net loss of $185 million for the fourth quarter, most of it from falling prices for aluminum and other metals.
About $135 million of the charge is related to lower metal prices. Other charges cover plant closures and cuts in Oklahoma and Virginia.
Kaiser and other aluminum products companies have seen a drop in demand along with a steep fall in the price of aluminum in the past year.
While the price drop reduces a key cost for Kaiser, other costs haven’t come down as fast, with lower product selling prices cutting into profits.
Earlier this week, industry bellwether Alcoa Inc. reported a bigger than expected fourth-quarter loss.
Kaiser said its pending fourth-quarter loss would have prevented it from paying shareholder dividends or buying back shares, per the terms of a revolving credit line with JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The company said it has reworked the credit line to allow for dividends, as long as it maintains more than $100 million in unused credit.
Kaiser won’t be able to buy back shares with the lender’s approval.
The company plans to pay $4.8 million in dividends next month to those holding the stock as of next Monday.
Fourth-quarter results are due Feb. 17.
