United States Steel (NYSE:X) Releases Q1 Earnings Guidance

United States Steel (NYSE:X) issued an update on its first quarter earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of (0.53)-($0.49) for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of ($0.32).

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE X opened at $41.07 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $37.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.75. The firm has a market cap of $9.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. United States Steel has a 52 week low of $26.92 and a 52 week high of $43.35. 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 issued 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 net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 4.27%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United States Steel 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. United States Steel’s payout ratio is presently 13.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

X has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America began coverage on United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United States Steel presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.70.

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.