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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 Olympic Steel's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
ZEUS'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.38 Med: 0.66 Max: 1.11
Current: 0.49
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Olympic Steel was 1.11. The lowest was 0.38. And the median was 0.66.
ZEUS's Debt-to-Equity is not ranked
in the Steel industry.
Industry Median: 0.41
vs ZEUS: 0.49
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.
Olympic Steel Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Olympic Steel Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Olympic 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.
ZEUS vs MSB, NWPX, MTUS: Debt-to-Equity Comparison
For the Steel subindustry, Olympic 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.
Olympic Steel Debt-to-Equity vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Olympic Steel's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Olympic 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.
Olympic Steel (ZEUS) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.49 as of Sep. 2025. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Olympic Steel and its competitors. This is 26% below median its historical median of 0.66. Over the past decade, Olympic Steel's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.38 to 1.11.
Is Olympic Steel's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Olympic Steel's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.49 is 26% below median its 10-year median of 0.66. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.38 to a high of 1.11. The Steel industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41. Olympic Steel's value of 0.49 is 19.5% above this industry median. Overall, Olympic Steel has a GF Score™ of 58/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Olympic Steel's Debt-to-Equity compare to MSB and NWPX?
Olympic Steel's Debt-to-Equity of 0.49 can be compared against companies in the Steel industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41. Olympic Steel's value of 0.49 is 19.5% above this benchmark. Historically, Olympic Steel's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.38 to 1.11 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.66 vs. the industry median of 0.41, Olympic Steel has consistently been above 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 0.41, based on 547 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. Olympic Steel's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.49 is 19.5% above 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 Olympic Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Olympic Steel's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.49, which is 26% below median its own 10-year median of 0.66. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Olympic Steel stock overvalued right now?
Olympic Steel (ZEUS) has a current Debt-to-Equity of 0.49. The stock's GF Value™ is $36.41, compared to a current price of $47.86 — trading 31.4% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.49, which is 26% below median its 10-year median of 0.66 and 19.5% above the Steel industry median of 0.41. Olympic Steel's overall GF Score™ is 58/100 with 8 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 Olympic Steel (ZEUS), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.49 as of Sep. 2025. 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 Olympic Steel (ZEUS) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Olympic Steel stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $47.86 is trading 31.4% above its estimated GF Value™ of $36.41.
Key valuation signals for ZEUS:
Debt-to-Equity: 0.49 (26% below median its 10-year median of 0.66)
GF Value™: $36.41 vs. price of $47.86 (31.4% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the ZEUS stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Olympic Steel Inc provides metals processing and distribution services in the United States. The company operates in three reportable segments; specialty metals flat products, carbon flat products, and tubular and pipe products. It specializes in the processing and distribution of large volumes of carbon, aluminum, and stainless steel flat-rolled sheet, coils, plates, bars, and fabricated parts. The group serves various industries such as industrial machinery and equipment manufacturers, automobile manufacturers and suppliers, and transportation equipment manufacturers. The company generates majority of the revenue from carbon flat products.
58GF Score
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