United States Steel (NYSE:X) Trading 4.1% Higher – Time to Buy?

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)’s stock price was up 4.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $41.62 and last traded at $41.75. Approximately 3,828,348 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 4,906,090 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.11.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

X has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on United States Steel in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.70.

United States Steel Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $9.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.66.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.38). United States Steel had a return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 2.46%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio is 13.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United States Steel by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,558,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $698,791,000 after purchasing an additional 186,994 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in United States Steel by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,291,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $315,790,000 after buying an additional 929,762 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 4,788,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $162,747,000 after buying an additional 68,230 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of United States Steel by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,773,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $162,242,000 after acquiring an additional 174,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in United States Steel by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,862,064 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $131,313,000 after acquiring an additional 22,380 shares during the period. 81.92% of the stock is 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.