United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its position in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 97.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,146,493 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $1,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in United States Steel by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 216,382 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,355,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares in the last quarter. Hartree Partners LP boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 140.9% in the fourth quarter. Hartree Partners LP now owns 257,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,756,000 after buying an additional 150,669 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of United States Steel by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 34,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United States Steel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $130,731,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in United States Steel by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 35,839 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,218,000 after acquiring an additional 6,244 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on X. Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United States Steel currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.65.

United States Steel Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE X opened at $40.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $39.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.68. United States Steel Co. has a 52-week low of $26.92 and a 52-week high of $46.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 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, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.42%.

United States Steel Company 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.