ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT) Shares Gap Up After Dividend Announcement

ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock had previously closed at $63.09, but opened at $66.74. ArcelorMittal shares last traded at $64.9440, with a volume of 527,881 shares.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. ArcelorMittal’s payout ratio is 11.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ArcelorMittal in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of ArcelorMittal from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised ArcelorMittal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $51.10 to $73.20 in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ArcelorMittal in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Oddo Bhf upgraded ArcelorMittal from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.98.

ArcelorMittal Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.20. The company has a market cap of $51.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.52.

ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.30. ArcelorMittal had a return on equity of 5.27% and a net margin of 5.14%.The business had revenue of $14.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that ArcelorMittal will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting ArcelorMittal

Here are the key news stories impacting ArcelorMittal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker upgrades — Jefferies upgraded MT to Buy citing a stronger steel outlook and Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan issued/maintained Buy calls, lifting investor sentiment and contributing to price momentum. ArcelorMittal upgraded to buy at Jefferies on stronger steel outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Confirmed €1.3bn EAF investment at Dunkirk — a major decarbonization move, with French support and alignment with tightening EU steel rules; improves long-term cost/ESG profile and access to EU incentives. ArcelorMittal confirms the construction of an electric arc furnace in Dunkirk
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend announced (0.15/share; ~0.9% yield) — signals cash return to shareholders and confidence in cash flow. (Ex-dividend Feb 20; pay date Mar 18.)
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~27.8% in January — fewer shares sold short reduces downward pressure and can amplify upside on positive news.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts (Barclays) remain cautious with a Hold rating — indicates not all brokers are convinced on near-term upside, tempering a full consensus rally. Barclays Sticks to Its Hold Rating for ArcelorMittal
• Negative Sentiment: Press highlights legal pressures and risks around expansion in Liberia — a reminder of geopolitical and operational risks that could affect costs or project timelines. ArcelorMittal Legal Pressures And Liberia Expansion Put Risk Profile In Focus

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ArcelorMittal

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MT. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in ArcelorMittal by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of ArcelorMittal during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in ArcelorMittal by 91.5% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in ArcelorMittal by 44.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in ArcelorMittal by 392.1% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.29% of the company’s stock.

ArcelorMittal Company Profile

ArcelorMittal is a multinational steel manufacturing company formed in 2006 through the merger of Arcelor and Mittal Steel. Headquartered in Luxembourg, the company is one of the world’s largest producers of steel and operates an integrated value chain that spans raw material extraction, steelmaking, processing and distribution. Its product portfolio includes flat and long carbon steel products, coated and specialty steels, tubular products and value-added solutions tailored for sectors such as automotive, construction, household appliances, energy and packaging.

ArcelorMittal’s operations are global in scope, with production facilities, distribution networks and commercial activities across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States.