Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 1,014 Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 36.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,781 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,014 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in United States Steel in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Palouse Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the third quarter worth $35,000. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the third quarter worth $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in United States Steel by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in United States Steel during the third quarter worth about $59,000. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America initiated coverage on United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United States Steel has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.82.

United States Steel Price Performance

NYSE X opened at $37.95 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.47 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. United States Steel Co. has a 12-month low of $26.92 and a 12-month high of $48.13.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (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%. Analysts forecast that United States Steel Co. will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.42%.

About United States Steel

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.