Investors Buy Large Volume of United States Steel Call Options (NYSE:X)

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 101,458 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 42% compared to the typical daily volume of 71,636 call options.

United States Steel Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of X traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $40.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,433,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,919,302. United States Steel has a 1-year low of $26.92 and a 1-year high of $43.35. The stock has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

United States Steel (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share 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%. Research analysts forecast that United States Steel will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. United States Steel's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.42%.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in United States Steel during the 3rd quarter valued at about $608,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in United States Steel by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United States Steel by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 31,284 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United States Steel during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in United States Steel by 103.4% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 27,248 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $963,000 after acquiring an additional 13,849 shares during the period. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on X shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America started coverage on United States Steel in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on United States Steel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on 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, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.32.

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.