United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Shares Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $2,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of X. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in United States Steel in the 3rd quarter valued at $824,000. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 103.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 18,971 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $670,000 after purchasing an additional 9,660 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 176.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,767 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palouse Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 81.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United States Steel Price Performance

NYSE:X opened at $38.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.86. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $35.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.99. United States Steel Co. has a 12-month low of $26.92 and a 12-month high of $48.13.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.38). United States Steel had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 4.27%. Research analysts expect that United States Steel Co. will post 1.75 EPS for the current year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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 research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $39.00 price objective on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United States Steel presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.82.

United States Steel 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.