Worthington Steel is a value-priced steel processor with a Piotroski score of 7/9 and moderate peer ranking, but the business quality is below the minimum floor at 3.2, earnings have been mixed with 2 recent misses, and heavy automotive customer concentration leaves the company exposed to cyclical demand risk.
Thesis pillars
- Automotive Customer Concentration—
- Target Exceeded Negative Asymmetry—
- Quality Floor Failure—
- +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning
Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) Stock Analysis
Inst Constrain edge
Basic Materials · Steel
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $33.94: Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.2/10. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 2.50; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.
Worthington Steel processes carbon flat-rolled steel and produces electrical steel laminations and laser-welded blanks at 28 manufacturing facilities in the US, Canada, Germany, India, China, and Mexico. In fiscal 2025, the company purchased 2.44 million tons of steel, serving... Read more
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $33.94: Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.2/10. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 2.50; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Score 5.2/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 6/8 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 79d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.
Recent developments
updated 2026-07-15Recent Developments — Worthington Steel, Inc.
Latest news
- NEWS Worthington Steel Q4 2026 Earnings Call Transcript — benzinga Jun 25, 2026 neutral
- NEWS Worthington Steel Q4 Adj. EPS $0.74 Beats $0.73 Estimate, Sales $929.200M Miss $992.000M Estimate — benzinga Jun 24, 2026 negative
- NEWS Earnings Scheduled For June 24, 2026 (CORRECTED) — benzinga Jun 24, 2026 neutral
- NEWS How To Earn $500 A Month From Worthington Steel Stock Ahead Of Q4 Earnings — benzinga Jun 24, 2026 positive
- NEWS Earnings Scheduled For June 24, 2026 — benzinga Jun 24, 2026 neutral
Generated 2026-07-15T05:12:07Z.
Upcoming dated catalysts
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- HIGHCustomerautomotive-related customers52%10-K Item 1A: 'Approximately 52% of our net sales are to automotive-related customers'
- MEDIUMCustomertop three customers33%10-K Item 1: 'our top three customers represented approximately 33.0% of total net sales'
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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Rating Breakdown
3 floor-breakers
Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static
Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
No near-term catalyst priced in. Thesis progression will come from fundamentals grinding, not event reaction.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $33.94: Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.2/10. Specifically: Elevated put/call ratio: 2.50; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Prior stop was $31.56. Score 5.2/10, moderate confidence.
Take-profit target: $39.10 (+15.2% upside). Prior stop was $31.56. Stop-loss: $31.56.
Concentration risk — Customer: automotive-related customers (52.0%); Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0).
Worthington Steel, Inc. trades at a P/E of 97.2 (forward 13.2). TrendMatrix value score: 7.8/10. Verdict: Sell.
10 analysts cover WS with a consensus score of 4.1/5. Average price target: $46.
What does Worthington Steel, Inc. do?Worthington Steel processes carbon flat-rolled steel and produces electrical steel laminations and laser-welded blanks...
Worthington Steel processes carbon flat-rolled steel and produces electrical steel laminations and laser-welded blanks at 28 manufacturing facilities in the US, Canada, Germany, India, China, and Mexico. In fiscal 2025, the company purchased 2.44 million tons of steel, serving ~1,200 customers across automotive (52% of net sales), construction (11%), and other end markets, with its top three customers accounting for approximately 33% of total net sales.