HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its position in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,212 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,056 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United States Steel in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 903.0% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,003 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 903 shares during the period. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 4,680.0% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,195 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on United States Steel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.32.

United States Steel Stock Performance

NYSE:X opened at $43.01 on Thursday. United States Steel Co. has a 12 month low of $26.92 and a 12 month high of $43.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 28.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $38.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.03.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.38). United States Steel had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 4.27%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.42%.

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.