United States Steel (NYSE:X) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.38 EPS

United States Steel (NYSE:X) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.38), Zacks reports. United States Steel had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 6.01%.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE X traded up $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $37.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,192,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,938,095. United States Steel has a 52 week low of $26.92 and a 52 week high of $48.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a PE ratio of 24.65 and a beta of 1.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $35.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.05.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on X shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America initiated coverage on United States Steel in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.07.

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.