Produces flat-rolled carbon steel products. Manufactures stainless steel products. Now — the numbers.
That much dependence is a risk in itself: if this one line weakens, the whole company feels it directly.
The company closed last year at a loss: costs ran above sales. The picture changes only if spending is reined in.
Before the clock runs out, either sales must climb sharply or new money must come in. This is the most critical line in the whole picture.
This company is not turning a profit, so the market is pricing its sales instead: 0.4× for every dollar of annual revenue.
Against companies in its own sector, it looks cheaper than 30% of them.
Analysts' average target sits 3% below today's price.
Executives buying with their own money is usually read as confidence in the company’s future.
We compared this company with its own sector across five subjects.
A score of 50 means class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
The price is looking for direction — no strong breakout, no collapse.
Financial Strength: The cash-and-debt balance is thin; the buffer for hard times is slim.
Growth: Sales growth trails the sector average.
An investor who bought at the very peak is down 64% today. The business is the same; what changed most is the price — and the expectations — the market pins on it.
Over the last 12 months, company executives reported 32 buys and 13 sells. Management buying with its own money is usually read as a good sign.
A loss of $1.5B against $18.6B in annual sales. And on top of that, sales fell from the year before.
This stock swings about 2.1 times as much as the market average. Big rallies — and big drops — can both happen fast.
At the current pace of spending, the cash lasts less than a year. After that, the company needs to find new money.
On our five-subject report card, CLF sits behind the class. A low grade doesn’t mean “doomed” — it means “big claim, small proof.”
The takeaway: CLF’s sales are going backwards, and it closed last year at a loss. The road back runs through both.