USG (NYSE:USG) was upgraded by research analysts at Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $43.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $31.00. Barclays’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 6.07% from the company’s current price.
Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. ValuEngine upgraded shares of USG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. SunTrust Banks lowered shares of USG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective (up previously from $28.00) on shares of USG in a research note on Monday, September 18th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of USG from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of USG from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.21.
USG (NYSE USG) opened at $40.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 2.37. USG has a 52 week low of $25.60 and a 52 week high of $41.18. The stock has a market cap of $5,735.40, a P/E ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.21.
In related news, insider Brian J. Cook sold 30,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 84,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,923,324.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John M. Reale sold 7,535 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.89, for a total transaction of $285,501.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 58,992 shares of company stock worth $2,131,270 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in USG. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in USG during the second quarter worth $5,467,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in USG by 5.5% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 757,318 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $21,977,000 after buying an additional 39,500 shares in the last quarter. Beck Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in USG during the third quarter worth $327,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in USG during the third quarter worth $170,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in USG by 2.2% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 190,100 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,207,000 after buying an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. 85.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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About USG
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.
