United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.32.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on X. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in United States Steel in the fourth quarter worth about $554,000. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in United States Steel by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,051 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. bought a new position in United States Steel in the fourth quarter worth about $1,292,000. Wexford Capital LP raised its stake in United States Steel by 193.7% in the fourth quarter. Wexford Capital LP now owns 443,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,090,000 after buying an additional 292,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in United States Steel by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

United States Steel Stock Performance

NYSE X opened at $35.36 on Tuesday. United States Steel has a 52-week low of $26.92 and a 52-week high of $47.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market capitalization of $7.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.68 and a 200-day moving average of $36.63.

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 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United States Steel will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. United States Steel’s payout ratio is 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.