National Steel (NYSE:SID) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks upgraded National Steel (NYSE:SID) from a "strong sell" to a "hold," but the street consensus remains a Sell with a $1.40 average price target.
• The company reported Q EPS of ($0.10) on $2.07B in revenue with a negative net margin (4%) and ROE (-10.92%), and the stock trades around $1.34 while carrying a high debt-to-equity ratio (2.70), signaling continued financial strain.
• An institutional investor, HRT Financial LP, raised its position by 175.3% to 564,262 shares (about $902,000), indicating some insider institutional buying despite weak fundamentals.

National Steel (NYSE:SID - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of National Steel in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of National Steel from $1.30 to $1.40 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Sell" and a consensus price target of $1.40.

National Steel Price Performance

SID opened at $1.34 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.61. National Steel has a 12-month low of $1.11 and a 12-month high of $2.20. The firm has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.56 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70.

National Steel (NYSE:SID - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The basic materials company reported ($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter. National Steel had a negative net margin of 4.00% and a negative return on equity of 10.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that National Steel will post -0.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Steel

An institutional investor recently raised its position in National Steel stock. HRT Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of National Steel Company (NYSE:SID - Free Report) by 175.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 564,262 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 359,335 shares during the quarter. HRT Financial LP's holdings in National Steel were worth $902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

National Steel Company Profile

Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional operates as an integrated steel producer in Brazil and Latin America. It operates through five segments: Steel Industry, Mining, Logistics, Energy, and Cement. The company offers flat steel products, such as hot and cold rolled, galvanized, galvalume, pre-painted, and metal sheets products; coil, sheets, and derivatives; tiles and derivatives, pipes, and profiles; long steel products; steel packaging solutions for the food industry; chemical packaging solution; and carbochemical products.

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