Worthington SteelWS +4.72%32 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is -15.08% as of May. 2026. GuruFocus rates WS with a GF Score™ of 32/100. The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 633 Steel companies, Worthington Steel ranks worse than 59.87% on this metric.
Joel Greenblatt defined Return on Capital differently in his book The Little Book That Still Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits). He defines ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % as EBIT divided by the total of Property, Plant and Equipment and net working capital. Worthington Steel's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was -15.08%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % or its related term are showing as below:
WS'
s ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 4.17 Med: 18.03 Max: 31.78
Current: 4.17
During the past 6 years, Worthington Steel's highest ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % was 31.78%. The lowest was 4.17%. And the median was 18.03%.
WS's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is ranked worse than 59.87% of 633
companies
in the Steel industry
Industry Median: 6.93
vs WS: 4.17
Worthington Steel's 5-Year average Growth Rate of ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % was -27.60% per year.
The way Joel Greenblatt defines Return on Capital is a more accurate measure of how efficiently the company generates returns onthe capital actually invested in the business. EBIT is used instead of net income because the tax and interest payment may be affected by factors other than the core business operation. Intangible assets are not included in the calculation because they don't need to be replaced.
Worthington Steel ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Related Terms
Worthington Steel ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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.
WS vs NWPX, MTUS, MSB: ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Comparison
For the Steel subindustry, Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % falls into.
Joel Greenblatt defined Return on Capital differently in his book The Little Book That Still Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits) . He defines Return on Capital as follows:
EBIT stands for Earnings Before Interest and Taxes.
Fixed Assets are also known as non-current assets. They include the Property, Plant and Equipment that the firm needs in its operation.
GuruFocus calculates net working capital as: (Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Deferred Revenue + Other Current Liabilities). We're trying to account for OPERATING assets and liabilities (part of daily business) when calculating working capital. Cash and marketable securities are considered NON-OPERATING assets and are not included in calculation. We will also back out all interest bearing debt, short term debt and the portion of long term debt that is due in the current period from the current liabilities. This debt will be considered when computing cost of capital and it would be inappropriate to count it twice.
Note:
The EBIT data used here is four times the quarterly (May. 2026) EBIT 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.
What does a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of -15.08% mean?
Worthington Steel (WS) has a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of -15.08% as of May. 2026. Joel Greenblatt's return on capital is the ratio of EBIT to average fixed assets and net working capital. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. Over the past decade, Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % has ranged from 4.17 to 31.78. According to the industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #379 out of 633 companies in the Steel industry, placing it in the top 59.9%.
Is Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % too high?
Worthington Steel's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is -15.08%. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 4.17 to a high of 31.78. Based on the distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #379 out of 633 companies in the Steel industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Worthington Steel has a GF Score™ of 32/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Worthington Steel's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % compare to NWPX and MTUS?
According to the Steel industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #379 out of 633 companies for ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %. This places Worthington Steel in the lower half of its industry. The industry median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 6.93. Historically, Worthington Steel's own ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % has ranged from 4.17 to 31.78 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for a Steel company?
The median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % among Steel companies is 6.93, based on 633 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % mean?
A high ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Joel Greenblatt's return on capital is the ratio of EBIT to average fixed assets and net working capital. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 6.93 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Worthington Steel's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is -15.08%. 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of -15.08%. The current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is -15.08%. Worthington Steel's overall GF Score™ is 32/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % calculated?
ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Worthington Steel (WS), the current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is -15.08% 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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