United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.82.

X has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th.

United States Steel Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:X opened at $38.93 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $35.00 and its 200 day moving average is $36.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.91. United States Steel has a 1 year low of $26.92 and a 1 year high of $48.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.86.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.38). United States Steel had a return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 2.46%. On average, research analysts predict that United States Steel will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.42%.

Institutional Trading of United States Steel

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in United States Steel in the third quarter worth about $824,000. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 2.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 103.7% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 18,971 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 9,660 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 176.4% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,767 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 1,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palouse Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.