Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Shares of Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $11.94, but opened at $12.61. Korea Electric Power shares last traded at $12.5850, with a volume of 245,601 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Korea Electric Power from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Nomura downgraded shares of Korea Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Korea Electric Power from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Korea Electric Power from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Korea Electric Power Trading Down 2.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.71 billion, a PE ratio of 2.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day moving average is $11.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.81.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.18). Korea Electric Power had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 8.95%.The business had revenue of $14.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.31 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Korea Electric Power Corporation will post 2.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEP. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Korea Electric Power in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Korea Electric Power by 47.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Korea Electric Power by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new position in Korea Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Barclays PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Korea Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $45,000.

Korea Electric Power Company Profile

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) is South Korea’s state-owned, integrated electric utility. The company is responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity throughout South Korea and supplies power to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

KEPCO’s business includes electricity generation through affiliated companies, power transmission and distribution, and related energy services. Its generation-related subsidiaries include Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, which operates nuclear and hydroelectric facilities, as well as several companies focused on thermal and renewable power generation.

Founded in 1961, KEPCO has also pursued international projects involving power generation, transmission, renewable energy and other energy infrastructure.