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

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $41.32.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on X shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

United States Steel Stock Performance

Shares of United States Steel stock opened at $38.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.37. United States Steel has a one year low of $26.92 and a one year high of $44.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.55.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.38). United States Steel had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 4.27%. Research analysts expect that United States Steel will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.42%.

Institutional Trading of United States Steel

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in X. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United States Steel by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,558,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $698,791,000 after buying an additional 186,994 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in United States Steel by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,291,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $315,790,000 after acquiring an additional 929,762 shares in the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its position in United States Steel by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 4,788,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $162,747,000 after acquiring an additional 68,230 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,773,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $162,242,000 after purchasing an additional 174,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United States Steel by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,862,064 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $131,313,000 after purchasing an additional 22,380 shares during the period. 81.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.