Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Korea Electric Power from “hold” to “sell.” Across analysts, four rate the stock “hold” and one “sell,” giving it a consensus “reduce” rating.
• KEP reported quarterly EPS of $0.14, well below the $1.03 consensus estimate, and revenue of $14.60 billion versus expectations of $19.67 billion.
• The stock opened at $10.16, near its 52-week low of $10.00; its 50-day and 200-day moving averages were $11.05 and $13.76, respectively.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

KEP has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Korea Electric Power from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Korea Electric Power from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 9th. Finally, Nomura lowered Korea Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Korea Electric Power Stock Performance

NYSE:KEP opened at $10.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Korea Electric Power has a 1 year low of $10.00 and a 1 year high of $23.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $11.05 and a 200-day moving average of $13.76.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.89). Korea Electric Power had a return on equity of 15.70% and a net margin of 8.15%. The business had revenue of $14.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.67 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Korea Electric Power will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Korea Electric Power

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Korea Electric Power by 30.8% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,724 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Korea Electric Power by 171.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,499 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 4,104 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Korea Electric Power by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,803 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 2,071 shares in the last quarter. Altar Rock LLC acquired a new position in Korea Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $116,000. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Korea Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth $121,000.

About Korea Electric Power

Korea Electric Power Corporation, commonly known as KEPCO, is an integrated electric utility based in South Korea. It is responsible for transmitting and distributing electricity across the country and selling power to households, businesses and other customers. KEPCO also participates in electricity generation, including through subsidiaries that operate nuclear, coal-fired and other power plants. Its activities extend to energy-related services and overseas power projects. The company traces its modern corporate history to its establishment as a public corporation in 1982, building on earlier Korean electricity organizations.

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