United States Steel (NYSE:X) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Time to Buy?

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 12,470,216 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 111% from the previous session's volume of 5,904,918 shares.The stock last traded at $52.68 and had previously closed at $52.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on X shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $55.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United States Steel from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (down from $43.00) on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research restated a "peer perform" rating on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $41.37.

United States Steel Stock Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $43.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.75, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.82.

United States Steel (NYSE:X - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported ($0.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.54 billion. United States Steel had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 4.27%. The company's revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. United States Steel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Steel

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of United States Steel by 98.4% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 44,682 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,519,000 after buying an additional 22,161 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter worth $554,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in United States Steel during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,844,000. Hartree Partners LP lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 140.9% during the fourth quarter. Hartree Partners LP now owns 257,606 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,756,000 after buying an additional 150,669 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in United States Steel by 81.8% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,405 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. 81.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.