Sifting through countless of stocks in the Metals & Mining industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. or Carpenter Technology Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. operates as a steel producer in the United States and Canada. It offers hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and coated products, such as aluminized, electrogalvanized, and galvalume products, as well as galvanneal and hot-dipped galvanized products; stainless and electrical products, including GOES, NOES, and auto chrome; plate products; and slab and other steel products. The company also provides non- steelmaking products comprising stamped components, tool and die, and tubing; and scrap, iron ore, HBI, coal, and coke products. It also provides tubular components, including carbon steel, stainless steel, and electric resistance welded tubing products. In addition, the company is involved in the mining of iron ore; production of pellets and direct reduced iron; and processing of ferrous scrap through primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. It serves direct automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, distributors and converters, and steel producers. The company was formerly known as Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. and changed its name to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. in August 2017. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Carpenter Technology Corporation manufactures, fabricates, and distributes specialty metals in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Mexico, Canada, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Specialty Alloys Operations and Performance Engineered Products. The company offers specialty alloys, including titanium alloys, powder metals, stainless steels, alloy steels, and tool steels, as well as metal powders and parts. It serves the aerospace, defense, medical, transportation, energy, industrial, and consumer markets. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Latest Metals & Mining and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Carpenter Technology Corporation Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. had a $7.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Metals & Mining median of $1.7 million. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s stock is down 4.4% in 2026, up 7.3% in the previous five trading days and up 18.85% in the past year.

Currently, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. does not have a price-earnings ratio. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $19.2 billion with a -4.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-0.177 per share for the current fiscal year. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 2, 2026, Carpenter Technology Corporation had a $22.8 billion market cap, putting it in the 87th percentile of all stocks. Carpenter Technology Corporation’s stock is up 46.8% in 2026, down 5.8% in the previous five trading days and up 92.22% in the past year.

Currently, Carpenter Technology Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 43.8. Carpenter Technology Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.1 billion with a 17.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 12.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $13.377 per share for the current fiscal year. Carpenter Technology Corporation currently has a 0.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. 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 streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.	CLF	F
Carpenter Technology Corporation	CRS	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has a Growth Score of 12, which is Very Weak. Carpenter Technology Corporation has a Growth Score of 89, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Carpenter Technology Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Carpenter Technology Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Carpenter Technology Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.	CLF	D
Carpenter Technology Corporation	CRS	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has a Quality Score of 22, which is Weak. Carpenter Technology Corporation has a Quality Score of 93, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Carpenter Technology Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Carpenter Technology Corporation has a better overall quality grade than Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Carpenter Technology Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.	CLF	C
Carpenter Technology Corporation	CRS	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 52, which is Neutral. Carpenter Technology Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 69, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Carpenter Technology Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Carpenter Technology Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Carpenter Technology Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation Grades

In addition to Quality, Growth and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. or Carpenter Technology Corporation Stock?

Overall, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 12, Estimate Revisions Score of 52 and Quality Score of 22.

Carpenter Technology Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 89, Estimate Revisions Score of 69 and Quality Score of 93.

Comparing Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Carpenter Technology Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

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

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.