United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.78.

Several research firms recently weighed in on X. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of United States Steel in a report on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of United States Steel from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $51.00 to $48.00 in a report on Monday, May 6th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United States Steel from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $46.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United States Steel from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $43.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, May 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE X opened at $39.26 on Thursday. United States Steel has a twelve month low of $22.26 and a twelve month high of $50.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.31. The company has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a PE ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. United States Steel had a net margin of 4.89% and a return on equity of 10.61%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United States Steel will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United States Steel by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 29,928 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,456,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 28.7% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,004 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 8,373 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 112,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,449,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

United States Steel Company Profile

United States Steel Corporation produces and sells flat-rolled and tubular steel products primarily in North America and Europe. The company operates through North American Flat-Rolled (Flat-Rolled), Mini Mill, U. S. Steel Europe (USSE), and Tubular Products (Tubular) segments. The Flat-Rolled segment offers slabs, strip mill plates, sheets, and tin mill products, as well as iron ore and coke.