Worthington SteelWS +3.18%54 Debt-to-Equity is 0.33 as of May. 2026, which is 94% above its 10-year median of 0.17. GuruFocus rates WS with a GF Score™ of 54/100 and a GF Value™ of $33.94 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 10 warning signs investors should review. Among 546 Steel companies, Worthington Steel ranks better than 58.79% on this metric.
A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
WS'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.01 Med: 0.17 Max: 0.33
Current: 0.33
During the past 6 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Worthington Steel was 0.33. The lowest was 0.01. And the median was 0.17.
WS's Debt-to-Equity is ranked better than 58.79% of 546
companies
in the Steel industry
Industry Median: 0.4
vs WS: 0.33
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Worthington Steel Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Worthington Steel Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Steel subindustry, Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Worthington Steel Debt-to-Equity vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Worthington Steel (WS) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.33 as of May. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. This is 94% above median its historical median of 0.17. Over the past decade, Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.01 to 0.33. According to the industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #225 out of 546 companies in the Steel industry, placing it in the top 41.2%.
Is Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Worthington Steel's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.33 is 94% above median its 10-year median of 0.17. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.01 to a high of 0.33. The Steel industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.40. Worthington Steel's value of 0.33 is 17.5% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #225 out of 546 companies in the Steel industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Worthington Steel has a GF Score™ of 54/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Worthington Steel's Debt-to-Equity compare to NWPX and MTUS?
According to the Steel industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #225 out of 546 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This puts Worthington Steel in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.40. Worthington Steel's value of 0.33 is 17.5% below this benchmark. Historically, Worthington Steel's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.01 to 0.33 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.17 vs. the industry median of 0.40, Worthington Steel has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Steel company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Steel companies is 0.40, based on 546 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Worthington Steel's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.33 is 17.5% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.40 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Worthington Steel's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.33, which is 94% above median its own 10-year median of 0.17. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Worthington Steel stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Worthington Steel (WS) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $33.94, compared to a current price of $33.05 — trading 2.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.33, which is 94% above median its 10-year median of 0.17 and 17.5% below the Steel industry median of 0.40. Worthington Steel's overall GF Score™ is 54/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Worthington Steel (WS), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.33 as of May. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Worthington Steel (WS) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Worthington Steel stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $33.05 is trading 2.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of $33.94.
GuruFocus considers Worthington Steel to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for WS:
Debt-to-Equity: 0.33 (94% above median its 10-year median of 0.17)
GF Value™: $33.94 vs. price of $33.05 (2.6% below fair value)
Industry Position: 17.5% below the Steel median (#225 of 546)
No single metric tells the full story. See the WS stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Worthington Steel Inc is a processor of carbon flat-rolled steel, a producer of laser-welded solutions, and a provider of electrical steel laminations. The company has manufacturing facilities across the United States, Canada, China, India, Germany and Mexico. It buys coils of steel from primary steel producers and processes them to precise type, thickness, length, width, shape, and surface quality required by customer specifications. The company's product lines and processing capabilities include; carbon flat-rolled steel processing, electrical steel laminations, and tailor welded products. Geographically, the company generates a majority of its revenue from the United States followed by Canada, Mexico, and other regions.
54GF Score
Get the complete analysis for WS
Debt-to-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
WS has been successfully added to your 
