United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 170,923 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 168% compared to the average daily volume of 63,775 call options.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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 research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America started 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 objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $39.82.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on X
United States Steel Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE X traded up $0.59 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $39.29. The stock had a trading volume of 6,747,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,729,468. The company has a 50 day moving average of $34.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.97. United States Steel has a twelve month low of $26.92 and a twelve month high of $48.13. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.86.
United States Steel (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.38). United States Steel had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 4.27%. Research analysts predict that United States Steel will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.
United States Steel Announces Dividend
The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. United States Steel's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.42%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Steel
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of X. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in United States Steel by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 3,328 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in United States Steel by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 44,450 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,570,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in United States Steel by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 18,635 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $658,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in United States Steel by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,012 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning raised its stake in United States Steel by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,340 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the company's stock.
About United States Steel
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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