National Steel (NYSE:SID) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

National Steel Company (NYSE:SID) shares gapped down prior to trading on Monday. The stock had previously closed at $1.18, but opened at $1.02. National Steel shares last traded at $0.9630, with a volume of 5,973,170 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of National Steel from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of National Steel in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National Steel from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating. According to MarketBeat.com, National Steel presently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $1.40.

National Steel Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.77 and a beta of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

National Steel (NYSE:SID) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The basic materials company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12). National Steel had a negative net margin of 5.26% and a negative return on equity of 14.90%. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Steel Company will post -0.20 EPS for the current year.

National Steel Company Profile

Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (NYSE: SID), commonly known as CSN, is a Brazilian industrial company engaged primarily in steel production. Its operations include the manufacture and sale of flat steel products, such as galvanized, tinplate and coated steel, as well as other products used in construction, automotive manufacturing, appliances and industrial applications.

Founded in 1941, CSN operates an integrated steelmaking complex in Volta Redonda, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The company also has interests in iron ore mining, cement production, logistics and energy, supporting its vertically integrated industrial model.