The pretax margin, as know as pretax profit margin, is widely used to measure the operating efficiency of a company before deducting taxes.
The pretax margin is sometimes preferred over the net margin as tax expenditures can make profitability comparisons between companies misleading.
It is a useful tool to compare companies operating in the same sector and less effective when comparing companies from other sectors as each industry generally has different operating expenses and sales patterns.
The long term trend of the pretax margin is a good indicator of the competitiveness and health of the business.
Olympic Steel Pretax Margin % Related Terms
Olympic Steel Pretax Margin % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Olympic Steel's Pretax Margin % 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: Pretax Margin % Comparison
For the Steel subindustry, Olympic Steel's Pretax Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Pretax Margin % 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 Pretax Margin % vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Olympic Steel's Pretax Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Olympic Steel's Pretax Margin % 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 Pretax Margin % of 0.63% as of Sep. 2025. Pre-Tax margin is the ratio of total pre-tax income to net sales. View historical data on Olympic Steel and its competitors. This is 56% below median its historical median of 1.42.
Is Olympic Steel's Pretax Margin % too high?
Olympic Steel's current Pretax Margin % of 0.63% is 56% below median its 10-year median of 1.42. The Steel industry median Pretax Margin % is 2.57. Olympic Steel's value of 0.63% is 75.5% below 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 Pretax Margin % compare to MSB and NWPX?
Olympic Steel's Pretax Margin % of 0.63% can be compared against companies in the Steel industry. The industry median Pretax Margin % is 2.57. Olympic Steel's value of 0.63% is 75.5% below this benchmark. While the company's 10-year median is 1.42 vs. the industry median of 2.57, Olympic 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 Pretax Margin % for a Steel company?
The median Pretax Margin % among Steel companies is 2.57, based on 612 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Pretax Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Pretax Margin % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Olympic Steel's current Pretax Margin % of 0.63% is 75.5% 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 Pretax Margin % mean?
A high Pretax Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Pre-Tax margin is the ratio of total pre-tax income to net sales. View historical data on Olympic Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median Pretax Margin % is 2.57 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Olympic Steel's current Pretax Margin % is 0.63%, which is 56% below median its own 10-year median of 1.42. 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 Pretax Margin % of 0.63%. 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 Pretax Margin % is 0.63%, which is 56% below median its 10-year median of 1.42 and 75.5% below the Steel industry median of 2.57. 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 Pretax Margin % calculated?
Pretax Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Olympic Steel (ZEUS), the current Pretax Margin % is 0.63% 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:
Pretax Margin %: 0.63% (56% below median its 10-year median of 1.42)
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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