6 Undervalued Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stocks for Thursday, September 12

By Jenna Brashear
September 12, 2024
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
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Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Why Focus on Undervalued Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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6 Undervalued Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel industry for Thursday, September 12, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc AMR 0.74 5.7 4.7 10.4% 1.53 6.1 A
Highway Holdings Limited HIHO 1.20 na na 4.9% 1.25 na B
ArcelorMittal SA (ADR) MT 0.28 na 6.4 8.0% 0.34 55.5 A
Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc PPIH 0.59 7.1 4.7 1.2% 1.40 37.7 B
Reliance Inc RS 1.09 13.9 10.0 4.7% 2.03 19.9 B
United States Steel Corporation X 0.45 15.0 7.5 0.9% 0.66 na A

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score AMR Industry Median
Price/Sales 28 0.74 0.57
Price/Earnings 7 5.7 10.2
EV/EBITDA 14 4.7 6.6
Shareholder Yield 6 10.4% 2.9%
Price/Book Value 47 1.53 1.00
Price/Free Cash Flow 14 6.1 16.0

Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc. is a mining company with operations across Virginia and West Virginia. The Company supplies metallurgical products to the steel industry. Its portfolio of mining operations consists of about 15 underground mines, seven surface mines and nine coal preparation plants. It extracts, processes and markets met and thermal coal from deep and surface mines for sale to steel and coke producers, industrial customers, and electric utilities. It conducts mining operations only in the United States with mines in Central Appalachia. The Company operates in one segment: Met, which consists of five active mines and two preparation plants in Virginia, 17 active mines and six preparation plants in West Virginia, as well as expenses associated with certain idled/closed mines. The Met segment operations consist of met coal mines, including Deep Mine 41, Road Fork 52, Black Eagle, and Lynn Branch. It ships met coal to domestic and international steel and coke producers.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc has a Value Score of 96, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.74 compared to the industry median at 0.57, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 5.74 compared to the industry median at 10.17. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 4.7, when compared to the industry median of 6.6, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 2.85%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.00. This could make Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc less attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 16.01. This could make Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.

Highway Holdings Limited’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score HIHO Industry Median
Price/Sales 40 1.20 0.57
Price/Earnings na na 10.2
EV/EBITDA na na 6.6
Shareholder Yield 17 4.9% 2.9%
Price/Book Value 39 1.25 1.00
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 16.0

Highway Holdings Limited is a holding company. The Company manufactures and supplies various metal, plastic and electric parts, components and products to its original equipment manufacturing (OEM) clients, which are used by the Company's customers in the manufacturing of products, such as photocopiers, laser printers, compact disc players, laser disc players, computer equipment, electrical components, electrical connectors, vacuum cleaners, light fixtures, electro motors, pumps, automobiles and dishwasher, and other washing machine components. The Company operates in two segments: the metal stamping and mechanical OEM segment, and the electric OEM segment. The metal stamping and mechanical OEM segment focuses on the manufacture and sale of metal parts and components, whereas the electric OEM segment focuses on the manufacture and sale of plastic and electronic parts, components and machines.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Highway Holdings Limited has a Value Score of 80, which is considered to be undervalued.

Highway Holdings Limited’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Highway Holdings Limited more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Highway Holdings Limited’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

ArcelorMittal SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score MT Industry Median
Price/Sales 11 0.28 0.57
Price/Earnings na na 10.2
EV/EBITDA 24 6.4 6.6
Shareholder Yield 9 8.0% 2.9%
Price/Book Value 6 0.34 1.00
Price/Free Cash Flow 85 55.5 16.0

ArcelorMittal SA is a Luxembourg-based holding company. The Company, via its subsidiaries, owns and operates steel, iron ore manufacturing and coal mining facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. The Company is organized in five operating segments: NAFTA; Brazil; Europe; Africa and Commonwealth of Independent States (ACIS), and Mining. The NAFTA, Brazil, Europe, and ACIS segments produce flat, long, and tubular products including slabs, hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, coated steel products, among others. The Mining segment provides steel operations and comprises all mines owned by the Company in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

ArcelorMittal SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 88, which is considered to be undervalued.

ArcelorMittal SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make ArcelorMittal SA (ADR) less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about ArcelorMittal SA (ADR)’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PPIH Industry Median
Price/Sales 23 0.59 0.57
Price/Earnings 11 7.1 10.2
EV/EBITDA 14 4.7 6.6
Shareholder Yield 36 1.2% 2.9%
Price/Book Value 44 1.40 1.00
Price/Free Cash Flow 75 37.7 16.0

Perma-Pipe International Holdings, Inc. is a global engineered pipe services company offering core competencies in anti-corrosion coatings, insulation solutions, containment systems, leak detection systems, engineering support, field service, and custom fabrication. The Company engineers, designs, manufactures and sells specialty piping systems and leak detection systems. Its specialty piping systems include insulated and jacketed district heating and cooling piping systems for efficient energy distribution from central energy plants to multiple locations; primary and secondary containment piping systems for transporting chemicals, hazardous fluids and petroleum products; the coating and/or insulation of oil and gas gathering and transmission pipelines, and liquid and powder based anti-corrosion coatings applied both to the external and internal surfaces of steel pipe. The Company's leak detection systems are sold with its piping systems or on a stand-alone basis.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 76, which is considered to be undervalued.

Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 7.1 compared to the industry median at 10.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc more attractive for value investors.

Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Reliance Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score RS Industry Median
Price/Sales 37 1.09 0.57
Price/Earnings 36 13.9 10.2
EV/EBITDA 47 10.0 6.6
Shareholder Yield 18 4.7% 2.9%
Price/Book Value 57 2.03 1.00
Price/Free Cash Flow 53 19.9 16.0

Reliance, Inc. is a diversified metal solutions provider and has a metals service center company in North America. The Company provides value-added metals processing services and distributes a full line of over 100,000 metal products, including alloy, aluminum, brass, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, specialty carbon and alloy steel plate and round bar and specialty steel products. It serves various industries, such as general manufacturing, non-residential construction (including infrastructure), transportation (rail, truck trailer and shipbuilding), aerospace (commercial, military, defense, and space, and heavy industry, energy (oil and natural gas). It also services the auto industry, primarily through its toll processing operation. It has a network of approximately 315 locations in 40 states and in 12 foreign countries, including Belgium, Canada, China, France, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Reliance Inc has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.

Reliance Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 13.9 compared to the industry median at 10.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Reliance Inc less attractive for value investors.

Reliance Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Reliance Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Reliance Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

United States Steel Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score X Industry Median
Price/Sales 17 0.45 0.57
Price/Earnings 39 15.0 10.2
EV/EBITDA 32 7.5 6.6
Shareholder Yield 38 0.9% 2.9%
Price/Book Value 16 0.66 1.00
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 16.0

United States Steel Corporation is a steel producer. The Company operates through four segments: North American Flat-Rolled (Flat-Rolled), Mini Mill, U. S. Steel Europe (USSE) and Tubular Products (Tubular). The Flat-Rolled segment is involved in the production of slabs, strip mill plates, sheets and tin mill products, as well as all iron ore, direct reduced grade pellets, pig iron, and coke production facilities in the United States. The Mini Mill segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, coated sheets and electrical steels. The USSE segment produces and sells slabs, strip mill plate, sheet, tin mill products and spiral welded pipe. The Tubular segment produces and sells rounds, seamless and electric resistance welded (ERW) steel casing and tubing (OCTG), and standard and line pipe and mechanical tubing. It serves the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, container, and packaging industries with high value-added steel products such as its XG3 advanced high-strength steel.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

United States Steel Corporation has a Value Score of 85, which is considered to be undervalued.

United States Steel Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 15.0 compared to the industry median at 10.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes United States Steel Corporation less attractive for value investors.

United States Steel Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make United States Steel Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about United States Steel Corporation’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

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Other Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 6 Best Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

  • Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Highway Holdings Limited stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • ArcelorMittal SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Perma-Pipe International Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Reliance Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • United States Steel Corporation stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 undervalued stocks in the Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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Additional Resources About Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stocks

Want to learn more about Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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