Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) fell to a new 52-week low, trading as low as $11.73 after closing at $12.39 the prior day.
• Analyst sentiment has weakened, with multiple recent downgrades leaving the stock with an average rating of "Reduce" and only a small number of Hold ratings.
• The company’s latest earnings topped EPS estimates at $1.33, but revenue missed expectations, while shares continue to trade well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $11.73 and last traded at $11.8950, with a volume of 265439 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $12.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KEP shares. Bank of America lowered Korea Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Korea Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered Korea Electric Power from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Korea Electric Power from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Korea Electric Power from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Korea Electric Power currently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Korea Electric Power Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $15.22 billion, a PE ratio of 2.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's 50-day moving average is $13.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.15.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 16th. The utilities provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $16.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.21 billion. Korea Electric Power had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 8.95%. On average, equities analysts predict that Korea Electric Power Corporation will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Korea Electric Power

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEP. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Korea Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $138,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Korea Electric Power by 37.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 23,534 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 6,397 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Korea Electric Power by 29.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 38,524 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 8,723 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Korea Electric Power by 617.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 249,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,552,000 after buying an additional 214,535 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Korea Electric Power by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,535 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 5,528 shares during the period.

About Korea Electric Power

Korea Electric Power (KEP) is a South Korea–based integrated electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The company's activities span power plant operation and maintenance, grid management, fuel procurement and power trading, as well as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for large-scale power projects. Its asset base includes a mix of thermal, nuclear, hydro and renewable generation capacity, and the company supports system planning and reliability functions for the national electricity network.

In addition to core utility operations, KEP provides a range of technical and consulting services tied to power infrastructure, including plant construction, refurbishment and decommissioning support.

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