Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Stock Lifted to "Hold" by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Korea Electric Power from “strong sell” to “hold.” Despite the move, MarketBeat’s consensus rating remains “Reduce,” with four analysts at Hold and one at Sell.
• KEP’s latest reported quarter fell short of expectations: EPS was $0.14 versus a $1.03 estimate, and revenue was $14.60 billion versus $19.67 billion forecast.
• The stock opened at $11.22, near its 12-month low of $10.26 and well below its 12-month high of $23.41.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

KEP has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Korea Electric Power from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Nomura cut shares of 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce".

Korea Electric Power Price Performance

NYSE:KEP opened at $11.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $14.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 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. The company's 50-day moving average is $11.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.91. Korea Electric Power has a 12-month low of $10.26 and a 12-month high of $23.41.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.03 by ($0.89). The firm had revenue of $14.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.67 billion. Korea Electric Power had a return on equity of 15.70% and a net margin of 8.15%. Research analysts expect that Korea Electric Power will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Korea Electric Power by 97.4% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,829 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 16,196 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Korea Electric Power by 18.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 15,390 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 2,363 shares during the period. Altar Rock LLC purchased a new position in shares of Korea Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth about $116,000. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Korea Electric Power by 35.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 15,347 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 4,020 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Korea Electric Power by 30.8% in the 3rd 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.

Korea Electric Power Company Profile

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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