Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $21.72 and last traded at $21.7810, with a volume of 265358 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on KEP shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Korea Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Zacks Research raised Korea Electric Power to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Korea Electric Power in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Korea Electric Power Trading Down 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $27.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.96, a PEG ratio of 0.07 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.18.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The utilities provider reported $2.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $19.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.17 billion. Korea Electric Power had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 19.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Korea Electric Power

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Korea Electric Power during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Korea Electric Power during the third quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Korea Electric Power by 204.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,851 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in Korea Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Korea Electric Power by 1,144.4% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,447 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 3,170 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.