Nomura Downgrades Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) to Neutral

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Nomura from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

KEP has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Korea Electric Power from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Korea Electric Power from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Korea Electric Power from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Korea Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Korea Electric Power Trading Down 2.4%

KEP stock traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $11.59. The stock had a trading volume of 710,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 911,761. The firm has a market cap of $14.88 billion, a PE ratio of 2.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.43 and a quick ratio of 0.29. Korea Electric Power has a 12-month low of $11.25 and a 12-month high of $23.41. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.15.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.40). 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 $14.88 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Korea Electric Power will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Korea Electric Power

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KEP. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Korea Electric Power during the first quarter worth $28,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Korea Electric Power by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in Korea Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Barclays PLC bought a new position in Korea Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000.

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.