United States Steel Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:X)

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 101,458 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 42% compared to the typical volume of 71,636 call options.

United States Steel Price Performance

X opened at $41.71 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $9.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $37.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.68. United States Steel has a 1 year low of $26.92 and a 1 year high of $43.35.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts anticipate that United States Steel will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on X. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of 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 reduced 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 research report on Monday, January 6th. 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 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United States Steel has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.70.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Steel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in United States Steel by 64.0% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 710 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in United States Steel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.