Boston Partners Lowers Position in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)

Boston Partners trimmed its position in shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 32.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,309 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 15,561 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in United States Steel were worth $1,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in United States Steel in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United States Steel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in shares of United States Steel by 903.0% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,003 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 903 shares in the last quarter. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on X shares. 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 raised their price target on shares of United States Steel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.32.

United States Steel Price Performance

NYSE:X opened at $40.90 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.78. The stock has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a PE ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.55. United States Steel Co. has a one year low of $26.92 and a one year high of $43.35.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 2.46%. Equities research analysts expect that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. United States Steel’s payout ratio is 13.42%.

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.