United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.94.

A number of brokerages recently commented on X. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America assumed coverage on United States Steel in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $43.00) on shares of United States Steel in a report on Wednesday, April 16th.

United States Steel Trading Up 1.4 %

X stock traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $44.07. The stock had a trading volume of 6,738,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,514,024. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.25. United States Steel has a 1-year low of $26.92 and a 1-year high of $46.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.79.

United States Steel (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.35) by ($0.04). United States Steel had a return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 2.46%. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. United States Steel's quarterly revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United States Steel will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. United States Steel's payout ratio is presently 13.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in United States Steel by 57.2% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 706 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 37.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of United States Steel by 45.3% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 911 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in United States Steel by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,880 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its stake in United States Steel by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 20,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $846,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.92% of the company's stock.

United States Steel Company Profile

United States Steel Corporation produces and sells flat-rolled and tubular steel products primarily in North America and Europe. The company operates through North American Flat-Rolled (Flat-Rolled), Mini Mill, U. S. Steel Europe (USSE), and Tubular Products (Tubular) segments. The Flat-Rolled segment offers slabs, strip mill plates, sheets, and tin mill products, as well as iron ore and coke.