Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 186,994 Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,558,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 186,994 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of United States Steel worth $698,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in United States Steel during the third quarter worth $51,620,000. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB bought a new position in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter worth about $17,907,000. ARS Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter worth about $15,510,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of United States Steel by 646.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 506,694 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,902,000 after buying an additional 438,771 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in United States Steel in the 3rd quarter valued at about $7,590,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

United States Steel Price Performance

United States Steel stock opened at $43.00 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $38.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.21. United States Steel Co. has a 52 week low of $26.92 and a 52 week high of $44.87.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. United States Steel’s payout ratio is currently 13.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. 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 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of United States Steel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United States Steel currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.32.

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.