Traders Purchase High Volume of United States Steel Call Options (NYSE:X)

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders acquired 170,923 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 168% compared to the typical volume of 63,775 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on X. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on United States Steel from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on United States Steel from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United States Steel has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.82.

United States Steel Price Performance

X stock opened at $36.96 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.03. The stock has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.80 and a beta of 1.86. United States Steel has a 1 year low of $26.92 and a 1 year high of $48.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last issued 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 return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 2.46%. Research analysts anticipate that United States Steel will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Steel

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of United States Steel by 9.2% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 3,328 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in United States Steel by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 44,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,570,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of United States Steel by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 18,635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of United States Steel by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,012 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of United States Steel by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 18,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.