Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Holdings in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,250 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in United States Steel during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United States Steel in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United States Steel in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in United States Steel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in United States Steel by 903.0% during the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,003 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:X opened at $40.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.91. United States Steel Co. has a 12 month low of $26.92 and a 12 month high of $43.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $37.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.78.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

X has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of United States Steel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United States Steel presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.32.

United States Steel 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.