WS
Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS) 10Y Growth Potential Analysis (2026)
Overall Score
Growth
Revenue base remains low-multiple at 0.56x sales, leaving room for expansion if growth re-accelerates.
Operating margins are still thin, with EBIT margin at 4.0% and net margin at 0.5%, limiting compounding power.
Asset turnover is solid at 1.52x, supporting moderate efficiency in the current business model.
Profitability
Return on equity is only 1.5% and return on invested capital is 0.7%, indicating weak capital efficiency.
Gross margin is 11.7% and operating margin is 3.1%, which remains too low for a strong long-term compounding profile.
Interest coverage is 3.9x, so financing costs are manageable but still constrain earnings quality.
Financial Health
Current ratio is 1.46x and quick ratio is 0.92x, suggesting acceptable near-term liquidity.
Net debt to EBITDA is 1.22x and debt to equity is 0.33x, indicating a moderate leverage profile.
Cash conversion cycle is 51.8 days, which is workable but not especially strong for a long-duration growth story.
Cash Generation
Free cash flow yield is 6.1%, which supports valuation and reinvestment flexibility.
Operating cash flow margin is 5.8% and free cash flow conversion is 58.5%, showing decent but not exceptional cash generation.
Capex consumes 41.5% of operating cash flow, leaving room for growth investment but also limiting surplus cash.
Valuation
EV/Sales of 0.64x and price/sales of 0.56x are inexpensive on a revenue basis.
EV/EBITDA of 10.0x and price/free cash flow of 16.4x are reasonable rather than deeply discounted.
The earnings multiple is elevated at 108.5x, reflecting very low current net income and keeping valuation dependent on future improvement.
Sources
- Company filings (10-K, 10-Q, investor presentations)
- Financial and market data providers
- Public news and industry information
🔒 Go Beyond This Framework
This is one of 10 institutional-grade frameworks Invetso runs on Worthington Steel, Inc.. Unlock the complete analysis — SWOT, Economic Moat, Porter’s Five Forces, Management, PESTLE and the Invetso Quality Score.

