U.S. Steel (X) recently announced its plans to partner with Surface Enhancement Technologies, a part of the Lambda Technologies Group, to improve the quality of its tubular steel products. The improved tubular products would see a wider range of applications and has the potential to add significant value to U.S. Steel by increasing the shipment figures for the company in the years to come. The company competes with international steel giants like ArcelorMittal (MT), BaoSteel, Posco, Nippon Steel (NISTY) and ThyssenKrupp.

Our price estimate for U.S. Steel stands at $60.17, roughly 7% ahead of its current market price.

Continue reading U.S. Steel Gets High Tech to Improve Tubular Pipes

U.S. Steel Gets High Tech to Improve Tubular Pipes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Our price estimate for U.S. Steel (X) stands at $60.17, roughly 15% ahead of market price. The company competes with international steel giants like ArcelorMittal (MT), BaoSteel, Posco, Nippon Steel and ThyssenKrupp. Below we recap U.S. Steel's full year 2010 results and examine how these numbers affect the road ahead for the company.

Understanding U.S. Steel's Performance in 2010

U.S. Steel reported revenues of $17.4 billion for 2010, an almost 60% increase from the $11 billion recorded in 2009. These figures are still below the peak of $23.8 billion in 2008 - before the steel industry felt the brunt of the global economic recession. The operations for the year, however, failed to generate a profit with $111 million in operating loss reported. But the fact that losses were in excess of $1.6 billion in 2009 shows that the company is recovering from the after-effects of the downturn.

Continue reading U.S. Steel Records Loss in 2010, but Good Times Lie Ahead

U.S. Steel Records Loss in 2010, but Good Times Lie Ahead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• U.S. Steel (X) to buy from neutral and Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Edison International (EIX) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Analog Devices (ADI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ...

Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading US Steel Hurt by Slowing Global Demand

US Steel Hurt by Slowing Global Demand originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Credit Suisse upgraded AT&T (T) to outperform from neutral and has a $35 target on the stock. Credit Suisse believes the impact from AT&T's loss of iPhone exclusivity will be less than expected and that the stock should benefit from its earnings growth and dividend yield.
• Goldman upgraded Freeport McMoRan (FCX) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $94 from $79 based on improving copper fundamentals.
• Benchmark Co. upgraded Valueclick (VCLK) to vuy from hold on expectations Google Instant (GOOG) could drive marketing traffic. The firm raised its target price for Valueclick shares to $15 from $11.
• Best Buy (BBY) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Research In Motion (RIMM) was upgraded to buy from sell at Societe Generale.
• CarMax (KMX) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BBY, FCX, KMX, NUE, PRGS, RIMM, T, USG, VCLK, X ...

Analyst Calls: BBY, FCX, KMX, NUE, PRGS, RIMM, T, USG, VCLK, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Squeaking By (NFLX, POT, BHP, X, BZH, STP)

Closing Bell: Squeaking By (NFLX, POT, BHP, X, BZH, STP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Official Win, but Mixed Bag (BP, DPZ, X, VLO, RF, RMBS, NBG)

Closing Bell: Official Win, but Mixed Bag (BP, DPZ, X, VLO, RF, RMBS, NBG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading US Steel Tanks After Q2 Loss

US Steel Tanks After Q2 Loss originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Call Volume Climbs on U.S. Steel

Call Volume Climbs on U.S. Steel originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Barclays upgraded GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to overweight from equal weight and said investor concerns regarding Advair and Avandia are overdone.
• Leerink upgraded Bristol-Myers (BMY) to outperform from market perform, citing management's pipeline execution. Shares were also upgraded at Citigroup this morning to buy from hold.
• Goldman upgraded Medco Health (MHS) to buy from neutral and raised its price target on shares to $76 from $67. The firm cites valuation and expectations that earnings will accelerate in 2H10 driven by a stronger generic outlook.
• U.S. Steel (X) was upgraded to neutral from sell at UBS.
• Blyth (BTH) was upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• IPC The Hospitalist Co. (IPCM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BMY, FSLR, GSK, LGF, MHS, PVH, SAI, SU, WAG, X ...

Analyst Calls: BMY, FSLR, GSK, LGF, MHS, PVH, SAI, SU, WAG, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded Halliburton (HAL) to outperform from market perform as it sees less headline risk from the Gulf of Mexico spill following Wednesday's House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. The firm upped its target for shares to $44 from $35.
• FBR Capital also upgraded Morgan Stanley (MS) to outperform from market perform as it views the valuation as attractive following the recent pullback in shares. The firm maintains a $35 price target for shares.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Avnet (AVT) to buy from hold on valuation; it views the recent pullback as a buying opportunity. The firm raised its target for shares to $39 from $36.
• U.S. Steel (X) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• News Corp. (NWS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.
• Sprint (S) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AVT, COF, HAL, JACK, LEN, MS, NOK, NWS, S, TEVA, X ...

Analyst Calls: AVT, COF, HAL, JACK, LEN, MS, NOK, NWS, S, TEVA, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

U.S. Steel (X - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company reported a fourth-quarter loss of $267 million, or $1.86 per share, on revenue of $3.35 billion. Analysts were expecting a loss of $1.44 per share on revenue of $3.09 billion. The company also forecast a first-quarter loss in line with fourth quarter results, whereas analysts are forecasting a loss of 44 cents per share. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on GE.

This morning, X opened at $52.66. So far today the stock has hit a high of $53.40 and a low of $50.37. As of 12:00, X is trading at $51.11, down $5.12 (-9.1%). The chart for X looks bearish and S&P gives X a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell ranking.

Continue reading U.S. Steel Dives on Q4 Loss, Q1 Outlook

U.S. Steel Dives on Q4 Loss, Q1 Outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Steel Rockets Higher

U.S. Steel Rockets Higher originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded T. Rowe Price (TROW) to buy from hold due to valuation and solid core trends. The firm raised its target on shares to $57 from $55. Note the firm downgraded Franklin Resources to hold from buy (see below).
• KeyBanc upgraded U.S. Steel (X) to buy from hold based on stable domestic cost environment in 2010 and likelihood of sustained higher spot pricing. The firm has a $65 target on shares.
• Goldman upgraded Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) to buy from neutral, citing oil leverage, sizable resource base and free cash flow. The firm raised its target to $90 from $88.
• Darden (DRI) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Carnival (CCL) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• AmerisourceBergen (ABC) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, BBY, BEN, H, LLY, TROW, X ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, BBY, BEN, H, LLY, TROW, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It was good news bad news for the steel industry Tuesday. AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) and United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) both reported better-than-expected third-quarter results. But for U.S. Steel, it was the third straight quarterly loss as the economic downturn continued to drag down demand.

For the three months that ended in September, U.S. Steel said it lost $303 million, or $2.11 per share. That compares with a profit of $919 million, or $7.79 per share, in the same period of last year. Revenue for the quarter fell 61% to $2.82 billion. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a loss of $2.87 per share on revenue of $2.72 billion.

Continue reading AK Steel, U.S. Steel report better-than-expected Q3 results

AK Steel, U.S. Steel report better-than-expected Q3 results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Chinese Inflation Fueling Copper Bubble?
• China Watch: PTR Outshines Other Oils

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Copper inventory build threatens the cyclicals

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Copper inventory build threatens the cyclicals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The steel stocks tend to go through boom and bust cycles depending on global economic activity; they have been pummeled over the last year, as the global economy slowed," notes turnaround expert George Putnam.

In his The Turnaround Letter, he explains, "But the news about steel is not all bad." Indeed, he believes some steel companies are poised for a turnaround. Here's his review of 6 leading steel production companies.

"Weakness in two big steel consuming industries, autos and construction, has been particularly troublesome for the steelmakers.

"However, there is evidence that steel inventories are gradually being worked off to low levels. There are also signs that economic activity in China, which is a huge consumer of steel, will not fall off as far as some economists initially feared.

Continue reading Steel: Six stocks with strong turnaround potential

Steel: Six stocks with strong turnaround potential originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded American Capital (NASDAQ: AGNC) to Outperform from Market Perform on expectations the company's book value and earnings are trending higher. The firm raised its target price to $22.
• Jefferies upgraded Spartan Stores (NASDAQ: SPTN) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company's EPS and sales momentum will return with the Michigan economy likely bottoming out. Despite upgrading, the firm lowered its target price to $18 from $24.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded U.S. Steel (X) to Overweight from Equal Weight due to its favorable product mix and leverage to improving operating rates.
• CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Mueller Water (NYSE: MWA) was raised to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL) was upgraded to Outperform from Underperform at JMP Securities.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CSX, JBL, MRVL, NUE, STT, X ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CSX, JBL, MRVL, NUE, STT, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it finds the risk/reward on shares attractive at current levels. The firm raised its target price to $22 from $20.
  
• FBR Capital upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) to Outperform from Market Perform after channel checks indicated recent sales are driving increased traffic and easing market share losses. The firm raised its target price on shares to $37 from $21.
• Barclays upgraded Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) to Overweight from Equal Weight as it believes the company is well positioned for a rebound in advertising and that the valuation is compelling at current levels. The firm raised its target on shares to $20 from $15.
• Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) was raised to Overweight from Market Weight at Thomas Weisel.
  
• U.S. Steel (NYSE: X) and CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG) were upgraded at Goldman to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) was upgraded at JP Morgan to Overweight from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, YHOO, X, SLE, OSK ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, YHOO, X, SLE, OSK ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Barclays believes Disney (NYSE: DIS) is the best positioned company for "media's digital evolution." The firm upgraded shares to Overweight from Underweight and has a $32 target on shares.
  
• Oppenheimer upgraded Semtech (NASDAQ: SMTC) to Outperform from Perform after channel checks indicated improved inventory levels, better product mix, and market share gains. The firm set a $20 target on the stock.
  
• RBC Capital expects Rigel's (NASDAQ: RIGL) R788 in RA to achieve its primary endpoint in the Phase II trials. Shares were upgraded to Sector Perform from Underperform and the price target was raised to $8 from $6.
• WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD) was upgraded to Accumulate from Sell at ThinkEquity.
  
• International Game Tech (NYSE: IGT) was raised to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Infineon (NYSE: IFX) was lifted at Banc of America/Merrill to Buy from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DIS, ED, RBS, X ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DIS, ED, RBS, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 May 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.