USG (USG) Upgraded to Outperform at Robert W. Baird

USG (NYSE:USG) was upgraded by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $45.00 price target on the construction company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $35.00. Robert W. Baird’s price target suggests a potential upside of 11.00% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on USG. ValuEngine upgraded shares of USG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 31st. Barclays upgraded shares of USG from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $43.00 in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of USG from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Bank of America downgraded shares of USG from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of USG in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.21.

USG (NYSE USG) traded up $2.53 on Friday, reaching $40.54. 4,126,342 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 971,018. USG has a 1 year low of $25.60 and a 1 year high of $41.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $5,377.45, a P/E ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.21.

USG (NYSE:USG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The construction company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.47. USG had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $795.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $790.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts forecast that USG will post 1.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In other news, insider Christopher D. Macey sold 3,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.61, for a total value of $125,053.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian J. Cook sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.58, for a total transaction of $1,037,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 84,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,923,324.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 58,992 shares of company stock worth $2,131,270 in the last 90 days. 0.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of USG in the third quarter valued at about $170,000. Beck Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of USG in the third quarter valued at about $327,000. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in shares of USG by 27.2% in the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 15,920 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 3,404 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of USG in the second quarter valued at about $5,467,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of USG by 2.2% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 190,100 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,207,000 after buying an additional 4,100 shares during the last quarter. 85.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: This news story was first reported by American Banking and Market News and is owned by of American Banking and Market News. If you are reading this news story on another site, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of US and international trademark & copyright law. The correct version of this news story can be accessed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2018/01/06/usg-usg-upgraded-to-outperform-at-robert-w-baird.html.

USG Company Profile

USG Corporation, through its subsidiaries, is a manufacturer and distributor of building materials. The Company’s segments include Gypsum, Ceilings and USG Boral Building Products (UBBP). It produces a range of products for use in new residential, new nonresidential, and residential and nonresidential repair and remodel construction, as well as products used in certain industrial processes.

Analyst Recommendations for USG (NYSE:USG)