United States Steel Corporation is offering up 50 million shares
The shares of United States Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) are down 9.8% at $8.46 at last check, after the company sold 50 million shares at a discounted rate to raise $429 million. The company stated that it will use these proceeds to "strengthen its balance sheet, increase liquidity and for general corporate purposes." Racked by coronavirus shutdowns, the steelmaker also forecast a wider-than-expected loss for the second quarter early Wednesday, with losses of about $315 million, or $3.06 per share anticipated -- nearly doubling Wall Street's estimates.
Today's bear gap has brought the stock slicing through 40-day moving average, a trendline that has caught multiple pullbacks in recent weeks. Hovering at breakeven for the week, the steelmaker is down 26.8% year-to-date.
Analysts are unanimously bearish on United States Steel stock, with five out of the nine in coverage sporting a "hold," and the remaining four carrying a "sell" or worse rating. What's more, the 12-month consensus price target of $6.26 is a 25.8% discount to current levels.
The options pits are much more optimistic, however. In the last 10 weeks, 3.29 calls were bought for every put at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio sits higher than 95% of readings from the past year, meaning calls are being picked up at a faster-than-usual clip.