United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) Stock Position Increased by Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.

Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in United States Steel Co. (NYSE:X) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in United States Steel were worth $500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United States Steel by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,558,732 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $698,791,000 after purchasing an additional 186,994 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the fourth quarter valued at about $130,731,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United States Steel by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,839,684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $135,691,000 after acquiring an additional 37,528 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United States Steel by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,635,715 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $89,588,000 after purchasing an additional 35,007 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of United States Steel in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,620,000. 81.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United States Steel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE X opened at $43.00 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $38.52 and its 200-day moving average is $37.21. United States Steel Co. has a 1-year low of $26.92 and a 1-year high of $44.87. The firm has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.86.

United States Steel (NYSE:X) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 4.27% and a net margin of 2.46%. Equities research analysts predict that United States Steel Co. will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United States Steel Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on X shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on United States Steel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Bank of America began coverage on shares of United States Steel in a report on Monday, January 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of United States Steel from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.