Worthington SteelWS +4.72%21 ROE % is -17.74% as of May. 2026. GuruFocus rates WS with a GF Score™ of 21/100. The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 622 Steel companies, Worthington Steel ranks better than 80.39% on this metric.
The historical rank and industry rank for Worthington Steel's ROE % or its related term are showing as below:
WS'
s ROE % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 8.06 Med: 15.36 Max: 25.86
Current: 11.2
During the past 6 years, Worthington Steel's highest ROE % was 25.86%. The lowest was 8.06%. And the median was 15.36%.
WS's ROE % is ranked better than 80.39% of 622
companies
in the Steel industry
Industry Median: 3.69
vs WS: 11.20
Worthington Steel (NYSE:WS) ROE % Explanation
ROE % measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' equity (also known as net assets or assets minus liabilities). ROE % shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. ROE %s between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.
The factors that affect a company's ROE % can be illustrated with the three-step DuPont Analysis:
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. The same rule applies to Pre-Tax Income and Operating Income.
* In the five-step DuPont Analysis, Operating Income is only available for non-financial companies. Thus, for Insurance companies, we use EBIT as a substitution of Operating Income. For Banks, both Operating Income and EBIT is unavailable. Thus we combined Interest Burden and Operating Margin % into Pretax Margin %, and the DuPont Analysis is divided into four components instead.
* 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
Net Income is used.
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the equity multiplier when investing in high ROE % companies. Like ROA %, ROE % is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their ROE %s can be extremely high.
Worthington Steel ROE % Related Terms
Worthington Steel ROE % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Worthington Steel's ROE % 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 ROE %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROE % 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 ROE % vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Worthington Steel's ROE % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Worthington Steel's ROE % 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 ROE %, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder equity 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.
ROE % is displayed in the 30-year financial page.
Worthington Steel (WS) has a ROE % of -17.74% as of May. 2026. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. Over the past decade, Worthington Steel's ROE % has ranged from 8.06 to 25.86. According to the industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #122 out of 622 companies in the Steel industry, placing it in the top 19.6%.
Is Worthington Steel's ROE % too high?
Worthington Steel's current ROE % is -17.74%. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 8.06 to a high of 25.86. Based on the distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #122 out of 622 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 ROE % compare to NWPX and MTUS?
According to the Steel industry distribution chart, Worthington Steel ranks #122 out of 622 companies for ROE %. This places Worthington Steel in the top 20% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median ROE % is 3.69. Historically, Worthington Steel's own ROE % has ranged from 8.06 to 25.86 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 ROE % for a Steel company?
The median ROE % among Steel companies is 3.69, based on 622 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROE % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROE % 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 ROE % mean?
A high ROE % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median ROE % is 3.69 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Worthington Steel's current ROE % is -17.74%. 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 ROE % of -17.74%. The current ROE % is -17.74%. 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 ROE % calculated?
ROE % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Worthington Steel (WS), the current ROE % is -17.74% 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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