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

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.65.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of United States Steel in a report on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America started 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 on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased 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 report on Friday, March 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $130,731,000. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP bought a new stake in United States Steel in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,795,000. NWI Management LP bought a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,946,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 142.8% during the fourth quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,610,040 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,725,000 after buying an additional 946,950 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew 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 buying an additional 929,762 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

United States Steel Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE:X opened at $40.10 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $39.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.64. The company has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.79. United States Steel has a twelve month low of $26.92 and a twelve month high of $46.18. 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 (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share 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 anticipate that United States Steel will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.