Worthington SteelWS +4.72%21 ROA % is -8.50% as of May. 2026. GuruFocus rates WS with a GF Score™ of 21/100. The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 637 Steel companies, Worthington Steel ranks better than 78.18% on this metric.
ROA % is calculated as Net Income divided by its average Total Assets over a certain period of time. Worthington Steel's annualizedNet Income for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was $-195 Mil.
Worthington Steel's average Total Assets over the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was $2,292 Mil. Therefore, Worthington Steel's annualized ROA % for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was -8.50%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Worthington Steel's ROA % or its related term are showing as below:
WS'
s ROA % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 4.53 Med: 8.52 Max: 12.51
Current: 5.81
During the past 6 years, Worthington Steel's highest ROA % was 12.51%. The lowest was 4.53%. And the median was 8.52%.
WS's ROA % is ranked better than 78.18% of 637
companies
in the Steel industry
Industry Median: 1.92
vs WS: 5.81
Worthington Steel (NYSE:WS) ROA % Explanation
ROA % measures the rate of return on the total assets (shareholder equity plus liabilities). It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from shareholders' equity plus its liabilities. ROA % shows how well a company uses what it has to generate earnings. ROA %s can vary drastically across industries. Therefore, ROA % should not be used to compare companies in different industries. For retailers, a ROA % of higher than 5% is expected. For example, Wal-Mart (WMT) has a ROA % of about 8% as of 2012. For banks, ROA % is close to their interest spread. A banks ROA % is typically well under 2%.
Similar to ROE, ROA % is affected by profit margins and asset turnover. This can be seen from the Du Pont Formula:
Note:
The Net Income data used here is four times the quarterly (May. 2026) net income data. The Revenue data used here is four times the quarterly (May. 2026) revenue data.
* 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.
Be Aware
Like ROE, ROA % is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in the company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective. ROA % can be affected by events such as stock buyback or issuance, and by goodwill, a company's tax rate and its interest payment. ROA % may not reflect the true earning power of the assets. A more accurate measurement is ROC % (ROC).
Many analysts argue the higher return the better. Buffett states that really high ROA % may indicate vulnerability in the durability of the competitive advantage.
E.g. Raising $43b to take on KO is impossible, but $1.7b to take on Moody's is. Although Moody's ROA % and underlying economics is far superior to Coca Cola, the durability is far weaker because of lower entry cost.
Worthington Steel ROA % Related Terms
Worthington Steel ROA % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Worthington Steel's ROA % 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 ROA %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROA % 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 ROA % vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Worthington Steel's ROA % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Worthington Steel's ROA % 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.
In the calculation of annual ROA %, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total assets over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data,
the Net Income data used here is four times the quarterly (May. 2026) net income data.
ROA % is displayed in the 30-year financial page.
Worthington Steel (WS) has a ROA % of -8.50% as of May. 2026. Return on assets is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total assets. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. Over the past decade, Worthington Steel's ROA % has ranged from 4.53 to 12.51. According to the industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #139 out of 637 companies in the Steel industry, placing it in the top 21.8%.
Is Worthington Steel's ROA % too high?
Worthington Steel's current ROA % is -8.50%. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 4.53 to a high of 12.51. Based on the distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #139 out of 637 companies in the Steel industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Worthington Steel has a GF Score™ of 21/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Worthington Steel's ROA % compare to NWPX and MTUS?
According to the Steel industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #139 out of 637 companies for ROA %. This places Worthington Steel in the top 22% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median ROA % is 1.92. Historically, Worthington Steel's own ROA % has ranged from 4.53 to 12.51 over the past decade. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROA % for a Steel company?
The median ROA % among Steel companies is 1.92, based on 637 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROA % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROA % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high ROA % mean?
A high ROA % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on assets is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total assets. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median ROA % is 1.92 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Worthington Steel's current ROA % is -8.50%. 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?
Worthington Steel (WS) has a current ROA % of -8.50%. The current ROA % is -8.50%. Worthington Steel's overall GF Score™ is 21/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROA % calculated?
ROA % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Worthington Steel (WS), the current ROA % is -8.50% 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.
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.
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