Aperam (OTCMKTS:APEMY) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Aperam shares gapped down significantly from a previous closing price of $33.30 to open at $31.13, reflecting a 6.5% decline.
• The company missed earnings expectations with reported EPS of $0.09 compared to the consensus estimate of $0.20, although revenue of $1.74 billion exceeded expectations.
• Aperam recently cut its dividend to $0.444 per share, yielding 5.9%, with a payout ratio of 54.15%.

Aperam (OTCMKTS:APEMY - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $33.30, but opened at $31.13. Aperam shares last traded at $31.13, with a volume of 224 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Aperam from a "strong-buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Aperam from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th.

Aperam Trading Down 1.8%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 1.36. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $31.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Aperam (OTCMKTS:APEMY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.11). Aperam had a return on equity of 2.93% and a net margin of 3.79%. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Aperam will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aperam Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.444 dividend. This represents a yield of 590.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Aperam's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.15%.

About Aperam

Aperam SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells stainless and specialty steel products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Stainless & Electrical Steel; Services & Solutions; Alloys & Specialties; and Recycling & Renewables. The company offers a range of stainless steel products, including grain oriented and non-grain oriented electrical steel products, and specialty alloys.