United States Steel (NYSE:X) Earns Equal Weight Rating from Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley reissued their equal weight rating on shares of United States Steel (NYSE:X) in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $39.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on X. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.82.

United States Steel Price Performance

United States Steel stock opened at $36.48 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.48 and a beta of 1.86. United States Steel has a 52-week low of $26.92 and a 52-week high of $48.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $35.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.55.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that United States Steel will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of X. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Palouse Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United States Steel Company 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.