United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.07.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on X shares. Bank of America began coverage on United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of X traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $36.05. 3,415,790 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,242,722. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $35.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.16. United States Steel has a 52-week low of $26.92 and a 52-week high of $48.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.72 and a beta of 1.88.

United States Steel (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.15. United States Steel had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 6.01%. The firm had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United States Steel will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. United States Steel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of United States Steel by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 24,303 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $919,000 after buying an additional 3,361 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in United States Steel by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 13,936 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United States Steel by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 26,880 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 33.1% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 204,221 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,666,000 after purchasing an additional 50,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United States Steel in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,992,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.92% of the company's stock.

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.