POSCO (NYSE:PKX) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group upgraded POSCO (NYSE:PKX) from "neutral" to "buy" in a research note on Monday, though analyst coverage is mixed and the consensus rating remains "Hold".
• Shares rose about 1.5% to $71.18 after the upgrade; the company has a market cap near $21.5 billion, a P/E of ~53.9, and a 12‑month trading range of $42.35–$72.17.
• POSCO reported a quarterly earnings miss—EPS of -$0.61 versus $0.45 expected and revenue of $10.61B versus $11.85B—but analysts forecast roughly 3.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

POSCO (NYSE:PKX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by UBS Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on PKX. Zacks Research cut shares of POSCO from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised POSCO from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

POSCO Stock Up 1.5%

POSCO stock traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $71.18. The stock had a trading volume of 36,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 202,623. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.43. POSCO has a 12-month low of $42.35 and a 12-month high of $72.17. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $62.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.80.

POSCO (NYSE:PKX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.61) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($1.06). The firm had revenue of $10.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.85 billion. POSCO had a return on equity of 1.09% and a net margin of 0.97%. Equities research analysts anticipate that POSCO will post 3.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of POSCO

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in POSCO during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Founders Capital Management increased its position in POSCO by 100.0% during the third quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 600 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in POSCO by 51.6% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 682 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in POSCO by 1,276.9% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in POSCO during the fourth quarter valued at $85,000.

About POSCO

POSCO NYSE: PKX is a South Korea–based integrated steel producer founded in 1968 as Pohang Iron and Steel Company. Headquartered in Pohang, the company grew rapidly as part of South Korea's industrialization program and developed large, integrated steelworks—most notably in Pohang and Gwangyang—that helped establish POSCO among the world's largest steelmakers. It is structured as a diversified industrial group with steelmaking at its core and a range of downstream and trading businesses.

The company's primary activities include ironmaking and steelmaking, producing a wide array of steel products such as hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets, coated steels, plates, stainless and special steels, long products (bars and wire rods), and seamless pipes.

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