Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $22.53, but opened at $21.05. Korea Electric Power shares last traded at $21.11, with a volume of 154,106 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Korea Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Korea Electric Power to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Korea Electric Power in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Korea Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Korea Electric Power Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $29.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.07 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.23.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) last issued 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 business 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

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KEP. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Korea Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $29,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Korea Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Korea Electric Power by 204.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Korea Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in Korea Electric Power by 1,144.4% in 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.

About Korea Electric Power

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.