Kobe SteelFRA:KST -0.10%74 Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 27, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates FRA:KST with a GF Score™ of 74/100 and a GF Value™ of €9.37 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 624 Steel companies, Kobe Steel ranks better than 78.69% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Kobe Steel has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
FRA:KST'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2 Med: 6 Max: 8
Current: 6
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Kobe Steel was 8. The lowest was 2. And the median was 6.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Kobe Steel Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Kobe Steel Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score 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.
FRA:KST vs NUE, STLD, RS: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Steel subindustry, Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score 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.
Kobe Steel Piotroski F-Score vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score 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.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Kobe Steel's current Net Income (TTM) was 511.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Kobe Steel's return on assets of this year was 0.02847486. Kobe Steel's return on assets of last year was 0.04159573.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Kobe Steel's gearing of this year was 0.18978963. Kobe Steel's gearing of last year was 0.21769065.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Kobe Steel's current ratio of this year was 1.62950943. Kobe Steel's current ratio of last year was 1.54858064.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Kobe Steel's number of shares in issue this year was 394.088. Kobe Steel's number of shares in issue last year was 394.489.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Kobe Steel's gross margin of this year was 0.1654876. Kobe Steel's gross margin of last year was 0.16564106.
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Kobe Steel's asset turnover of this year was 0.74032719. Kobe Steel's asset turnover of last year was 0.88432611.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
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6
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Kobe Steel has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Kobe Steel (FRA:KST) has a Piotroski F-Score of 6 as of Jun. 27, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Kobe Steel and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Kobe Steel ranks #133 out of 624 companies in the Steel industry, placing it in the top 21.3%.
Is Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Kobe Steel's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is near median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.00 to a high of 8.00. The Steel industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Kobe Steel's value of 6 is 20% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Kobe Steel ranks #133 out of 624 companies in the Steel industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Kobe Steel has a GF Score™ of 74/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Kobe Steel's Piotroski F-Score compare to NUE and STLD?
According to the Steel industry distribution chart, Kobe Steel ranks #133 out of 624 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Kobe Steel in the top 21% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Kobe Steel's value of 6 is 20% above this benchmark. Historically, Kobe Steel's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Kobe 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 Piotroski F-Score for a Steel company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Steel companies is 5.00, based on 624 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Kobe Steel's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is 20% 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 Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Kobe Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Kobe Steel's current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Kobe Steel stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Kobe Steel (FRA:KST) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is €9.37, compared to a current price of €10.05 — trading 7.3% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is near median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 20% above the Steel industry median of 5.00. Kobe Steel's overall GF Score™ is 74/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Kobe Steel (FRA:KST), the current Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Jun. 27, 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 Kobe Steel (FRA:KST) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Kobe Steel stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of €10.05 is trading 7.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of €9.37.
GuruFocus considers Kobe Steel to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for FRA:KST:
Piotroski F-Score: 6 (near median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: €9.37 vs. price of €10.05 (7.3% above fair value)
Industry Position: 20% above the Steel median (#133 of 624)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FRA:KST stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Kobe Steel Ltd engages in the manufacture, production, and sale of iron and steel. The company operates through seven segments. The Construction Machinery segment offers excavators, cranes, loaders, and workboats. Electric Power supplies electricity through group companies. Engineering handles plants for steel, petrochemicals, nuclear, water, and waste treatment, along with civil engineering and transport systems. Machinery provides compressors, engines, refrigeration, heat pumps, chemical and rubber machinery, and specialty materials. Materials include steel, aluminum, titanium, copper, and forged products. Steel & Aluminum delivers rolled products, plates, wires, and special steels, while Welding covers electrodes, flux, robots, power sources, and related services.
74GF Score
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