Yakira Capital Management Inc. Sells 27,000 Shares of United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X)

Yakira Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 24.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 27,000 shares during the period. Yakira Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $2,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gator Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United States Steel by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 12,750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of United States Steel by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 226,158 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,684,000 after buying an additional 8,408 shares during the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 4,788,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $162,747,000 after buying an additional 68,230 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,773,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $162,242,000 after acquiring an additional 174,394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Discovery Capital Management LLC CT grew its stake in United States Steel by 488.0% during the fourth quarter. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT now owns 556,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,926,000 after acquiring an additional 462,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the company’s stock.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of United States Steel stock opened at $38.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $38.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.38. United States Steel Co. has a one year low of $26.92 and a one year high of $44.87. The stock has a market cap of $8.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.79. 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 (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts expect that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 EPS for the current year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. United States Steel’s payout ratio is 13.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on X shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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 research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on 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 United States Steel in a research note on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United States Steel has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.32.

United States Steel 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.