Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Korea Electric Power from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Bank of America lowered shares of Korea Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings cut Korea Electric Power from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Korea Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Korea Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of Korea Electric Power stock opened at $11.54 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.82 billion, a PE ratio of 2.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. Korea Electric Power has a 12 month low of $11.43 and a 12 month high of $23.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.08.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 16th. The utilities provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.06. Korea Electric Power had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 8.95%.The business had revenue of $16.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.21 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Korea Electric Power will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Korea Electric Power

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Korea Electric Power by 47,424.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 375,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,900,000 after purchasing an additional 374,652 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in Korea Electric Power by 56.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 595,498 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,921,000 after purchasing an additional 215,150 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Korea Electric Power in the 1st quarter worth about $619,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Korea Electric Power by 44.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 146,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,149,000 after purchasing an additional 44,648 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Korea Electric Power by 4,179.1% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 99,404 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after purchasing an additional 97,081 shares in the last quarter.

Korea Electric Power Company Profile

Korea Electric Power (KEP) is a South Korea–based integrated electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The company’s activities span power plant operation and maintenance, grid management, fuel procurement and power trading, as well as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for large-scale power projects. Its asset base includes a mix of thermal, nuclear, hydro and renewable generation capacity, and the company supports system planning and reliability functions for the national electricity network.

In addition to core utility operations, KEP provides a range of technical and consulting services tied to power infrastructure, including plant construction, refurbishment and decommissioning support.