United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Shares Sold by Rakuten Securities Inc.

Rakuten Securities Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,920 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 408 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $99,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter worth about $525,000. ARS Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in United States Steel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $15,510,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in United States Steel by 646.0% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 506,694 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,902,000 after buying an additional 438,771 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in United States Steel by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,839,684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $135,691,000 after buying an additional 37,528 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in United States Steel by 1.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,600,708 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $91,883,000 after buying an additional 28,293 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

United States Steel Stock Up 2.8 %

United States Steel stock opened at $38.11 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.91. United States Steel Co. has a 1-year low of $26.92 and a 1-year high of $46.77. The company has a market cap of $8.58 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.64.

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 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on X shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on 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. Bank of America started coverage on United States Steel in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.70.

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.