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

Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.62.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on X. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of United States Steel from $47.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Glj Research upgraded shares of United States Steel from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.57 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of United States Steel from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. BNP Paribas raised shares of United States Steel from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of United States Steel in a report on Monday, August 19th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

United States Steel Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of X stock opened at $36.61 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 1.87. United States Steel has a 1 year low of $26.92 and a 1 year high of $50.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.03.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.12. United States Steel had a return on equity of 7.93% and a net margin of 3.40%. The business had revenue of $4.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.92 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United States Steel will post 2.18 earnings per share for the current year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KGH Ltd grew its holdings in United States Steel by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. KGH Ltd now owns 4,255,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $160,839,000 after acquiring an additional 1,724,670 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of United States Steel by 4,305.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,634,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $137,379,000 after purchasing an additional 3,551,870 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Associates Management Inc. increased its holdings in United States Steel by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alpine Associates Management Inc. now owns 2,667,932 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $100,848,000 after purchasing an additional 316,800 shares during the period. Murchinson Ltd. raised its position in United States Steel by 66.5% during the 1st quarter. Murchinson Ltd. now owns 2,100,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $85,638,000 after purchasing an additional 838,653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Water Island Capital LLC lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Water Island Capital LLC now owns 906,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,250,000 after buying an additional 45,567 shares during the period. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.