United States Steel (NYSE:X) Stock Price Down 2.6% – Should You Sell?

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) fell 2.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $31.01 and last traded at $31.15. 2,371,025 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 4,613,725 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Glj Research raised United States Steel from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.57 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded United States Steel from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on United States Steel from $47.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. BNP Paribas raised United States Steel from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United States Steel presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.37.

United States Steel Trading Up 0.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.49 and a beta of 1.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.50.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. United States Steel had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 6.01%. United States Steel’s revenue was down 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that United States Steel Co. will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.16%.

Institutional Trading of United States Steel

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in X. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of United States Steel during the second quarter worth $26,000. Palouse Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in United States Steel in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United States Steel in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in United States Steel in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the third quarter valued at about $59,000. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United States Steel

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.