United States Steel Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:X)

United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 159,676 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 112% compared to the typical daily volume of 75,327 call options.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE X traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $42.61. 1,569,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,872,839. United States Steel has a fifty-two week low of $26.92 and a fifty-two week high of $44.87. The firm has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.31. 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 results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 research analysts anticipate that United States Steel will post 1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. United States Steel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Steel

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of X. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United States Steel by 64.0% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 710 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of United States Steel during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United States Steel in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in United States Steel in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in United States Steel in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 81.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

X has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of United States Steel in a research note on Monday. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of United States Steel in a research report on Monday, January 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of United States Steel from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United States Steel from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.32.

United States Steel Company 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.