Richard Sloan from the University of Michigan was first to document what is referred to as the "accrual anomaly". His 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones.
Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was 1.30%.
As of May. 2026, Worthington Steel has a Sloan Ratio of 1.30%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Worthington Steel (NYSE:WS) Sloan Ratio % Explanation
A former University of Michigan researcher, Richard Sloan's 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones. In fact, for the 40-year period between 1962 and 2001, buying the lowest accrual companies and shorting the highest accrual companies resulted in an average annual compounded return of 18%, more than double the S&P 500's 7.4% annual return over the same period.
If the Sloan Ratio is between -10% and 10%, the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than between -25% and -10% on the negative side, and between 10% and 25% on the positive side, this is a warning stage of accrual build up.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than -25% or greater than 25%, and this ratio is consistent over several quarters or even years, be careful. Earnings are highly likely to be made up of accruals.
As of May. 2026, Worthington Steel has a Sloan Ratio of 1.30%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Worthington Steel Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
Worthington Steel Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio %, along with its competitors' market caps and Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio % vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio % falls into.
Earnings contain a lot of non cash earnings which is called accruals. The Sloan ratio is a way to identify firms with low non-cash or accrual-derived earnings relative to their cash flow.
Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in May. 2026 is calculated as
Worthington Steel's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was 36.8 (Aug. 2025 ) + 18.8 (Nov. 2025 ) + 10.4 (Feb. 2026 ) + -48.7 (May. 2026 ) = $17 Mil.
Worthington Steel's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was -6.3 (Aug. 2025 ) + 99.3 (Nov. 2025 ) + 63.3 (Feb. 2026 ) + 44.9 (May. 2026 ) = $201 Mil.
Worthington Steel's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was -29.6 (Aug. 2025 ) + -24.7 (Nov. 2025 ) + -115.8 (Feb. 2026 ) + -43.3 (May. 2026 ) = $-213 Mil.
* 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.
Worthington Steel (WS) has a Sloan Ratio % of 1.30% as of May. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors.
Is Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio % too high?
Worthington Steel's current Sloan Ratio % is 1.30%. Overall, Worthington Steel has a GF Score™ of 54/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio % compare to NWPX and MTUS?
Worthington Steel's Sloan Ratio % of 1.30% can be compared against companies in the Steel industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Sloan Ratio % for a Steel company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Steel industry context. However, Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio % mean?
A high Sloan Ratio % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Worthington Steel and its competitors. Worthington Steel's current Sloan Ratio % is 1.30%. 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?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Worthington Steel (WS) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $33.93, compared to a current price of $33.05 — trading 2.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is 1.30%. Worthington Steel's overall GF Score™ is 54/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Sloan Ratio % calculated?
Sloan Ratio % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Worthington Steel (WS), the current Sloan Ratio % is 1.30% 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.
Is Worthington Steel (WS) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Worthington Steel stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $33.05 is trading 2.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of $33.93.
GuruFocus considers Worthington Steel to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for WS:
Sloan Ratio %: 1.30%
GF Value™: $33.93 vs. price of $33.05 (2.6% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the WS stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
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.
54GF Score
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