6 Undervalued Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stocks for Friday, September 15

By Eunice Kim
September 15, 2023
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.

Latest Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel Stock News

Before choosing which top Metals & Mining - Iron & Steel stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

The iron & steel industry was negatively impacted by pandemic-related economic shutdowns, supply chain disruptions and freezes in consumption. However, the industry has experienced a swift recovery in domestic steel demand, and steel prices were at multi-year highs at the start of 2021. As of April 28, 2021, steel prices were up 57% from the beginning of the year and up 156% compared to the full-year average price in 2020. Despite the increase in profitability for steel producers as a result, the higher prices may not be sustainable given significant excess capacity. 

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 Friday, September 15, 2023. 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
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc CLF 0.34 33.3 8.9 1.9% 0.96 7.0 B
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co RS 0.99 10.5 7.2 6.3% 2.05 10.8 B
Ternium SA (ADR) TX 0.53 6.7 4.4 11.0% 0.65 4.3 A
Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc USAP 0.52 na 12.0 (1.2%) 0.56 na B
Vale SA (ADR) VALE 1.51 5.6 4.0 11.3% 1.66 178.7 B
United States Steel Corporation X 0.37 6.0 3.1 13.0% 0.65 33.1 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.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score CLF Industry Median
Price/Sales 14 0.34 0.54
Price/Earnings 75 33.3 10.2
EV/EBITDA 44 8.9 6.5
Shareholder Yield 34 1.9% 3.9%
Price/Book Value 29 0.96 1.10
Price/Free Cash Flow 22 7.0 7.2

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is a flat-rolled steel producer in North America. The Company is engaged in manufacturing iron ore pellets. It is vertically integrated from mined raw materials, direct reduced iron and ferrous scrap to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. It offers advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), hot-dipped galvanized, aluminized, galvalume, electrogalvanized, galvanneal, hot-rolled coil (HRC), cold-rolled coil, plate, tinplate, grain oriented electrical steel (GOES), non-oriented electrical steel (NOES), stainless steels, tool and die, stamped components, rail, slab and cast ingot. It provides steel solutions, such as operations of tooling and stamping, which provides advanced-engineered solutions, tool design and build, hot and cold-stamped components, and complex assemblies for the automotive market. It serves various markets, such as automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing, steel producers, and distributors and converters.

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.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc has a Value Score of 72, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.34 compared to the industry median at 0.54, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 33.33 compared to the industry median at 10.15. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Cleveland-Cliffs Inc less attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 8.9, when compared to the industry median of 6.5, the company may be considered overvalued 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. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 3.93%. 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. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.10. This could make Cleveland-Cliffs Inc more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 7.17. This could make Cleveland-Cliffs Inc more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Cleveland-Cliffs 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.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score RS Industry Median
Price/Sales 35 0.99 0.54
Price/Earnings 32 10.5 10.2
EV/EBITDA 34 7.2 6.5
Shareholder Yield 15 6.3% 3.9%
Price/Book Value 58 2.05 1.10
Price/Free Cash Flow 36 10.8 7.2

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. 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, 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 (agricultural, construction and mining equipment). 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 Steel & Aluminum Co has a Value Score of 74, which is considered to be undervalued.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co’s price-earnings ratio is 10.5 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 Steel & Aluminum Co less attractive for value investors.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.10.

You can read more about Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co’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.

Ternium SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score TX Industry Median
Price/Sales 21 0.53 0.54
Price/Earnings 15 6.7 10.2
EV/EBITDA 16 4.4 6.5
Shareholder Yield 8 11.0% 3.9%
Price/Book Value 15 0.65 1.10
Price/Free Cash Flow 11 4.3 7.2

Ternium S.A. is a producer of steel products. The Company produces finished and semi-finished steel products and iron ore, which are sold either directly to steel manufacturers, steel processors or end users. The Company operates through two segments: Steel and Mining. The Steel segment includes the sales of steel products and the Mining segment includes the sales of iron ore products, which are primarily inter-company. The Steel segment comprises three operating segments: Mexico, the Southern Region and Other Markets. In the steel segment, steel products include slabs, billets and round bars (steel in its basic, semi-finished state), hot-rolled coils and sheets, bars and stirrups, wire rods, cold-rolled coils and sheets, tin plate, hot dipped galvanized and electrogalvanized sheets and pre-painted sheets, steel pipes and tubular products, beams, roll-formed products, and other products. In the mining segment, iron ore is sold as concentrates (fines) and pellets.

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.

Ternium SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 98, which is considered to be undervalued.

Ternium SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 6.7 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 Ternium SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors.

Ternium SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Ternium SA (ADR) less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.10.

You can read more about Ternium 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.

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score USAP Industry Median
Price/Sales 20 0.52 0.54
Price/Earnings na na 10.2
EV/EBITDA 59 12.0 6.5
Shareholder Yield 60 (1.2%) 3.9%
Price/Book Value 12 0.56 1.10
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 7.2

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. is engaged in manufacturing and marketing semi-finished and finished specialty steel products, including stainless steel, nickel alloys, tool steel and certain other alloyed steels. Its manufacturing process involves melting, remelting, heat treating, hot and cold, rolling, forging, machining and cold drawing of semi-finished and finished specialty steels. It produces a range of specialty steel grades using several manufacturing processes, including vacuum induction melting (VIM), vacuum-arc remelting (VAR), electro-slag remelting (ESR) and argon oxygen decarburization (AOD). The Company?s products are sold to service centers, forgers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Its customers process its products for use in a variety of industries, including power generation, oil and gas, heavy equipment, and general industrial markets. It also performs conversion services on materials supplied by customers.

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.

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.10.

You can read more about Universal Stainless & Alloy Products 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.

Vale SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score VALE Industry Median
Price/Sales 47 1.51 0.54
Price/Earnings 10 5.6 10.2
EV/EBITDA 14 4.0 6.5
Shareholder Yield 8 11.3% 3.9%
Price/Book Value 51 1.66 1.10
Price/Free Cash Flow 97 178.7 7.2

Vale SA, formerly Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, is a Brazil-based metal and mining company which is primarily engaged in producing iron ore and nickel. The Company also produces iron ore pellets, copper, platinum group metals (PGMs), gold, silver and cobalt. Vale is engaged in greenfield mineral exploration in five countries and operates logistics systems in Brazil and other regions in the world, including railroads, maritime terminals and ports, which are integrated with mining operations. In addition, Vale has distribution centers to support the delivery of iron ore worldwide. Vale has numerous subsidiaries, including Vale Logistica Uruguay SA, Vale Holdings BV, Vale Overseas Ltd. The Company’s operations abroad cover approximately 30 countries.

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.

Vale SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

Vale SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 5.6 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 Vale SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors.

Vale SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Vale SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.10.

You can read more about Vale 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.

United States Steel Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score X Industry Median
Price/Sales 15 0.37 0.54
Price/Earnings 11 6.0 10.2
EV/EBITDA 10 3.1 6.5
Shareholder Yield 6 13.0% 3.9%
Price/Book Value 15 0.65 1.10
Price/Free Cash Flow 72 33.1 7.2

United States Steel Corporation (U.S Steel) is an integrated steel producer, which is engaged in producing and selling steel products, including flat-rolled and tubular products, in North America and Europe. The Company?s operations in the United States also include iron ore and coke production facilities and real estate operations. Its operations in Europe also include coke production facilities. The Company operates through four segments: North American Flat-Rolled (Flat-Rolled), Mini Mill, U. S. Steel Europe (USSE) and Tubular Products (Tubular). Its Flat-Rolled segment is engaged in the production of slabs, strip mill plates, sheets and tin mill products, as well as all iron ore and coke production facilities in the United States. The Mini Mill segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated sheets and electrical steels. The USSE segment includes U. S. Steel Kosice (USSK), U. S. Steels integrated steel plant and coke production facilities in Slovakia, and its subsidiaries.

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 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

United States Steel Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 6.0 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 United States Steel Corporation more 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 1.10.

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.

  • Cleveland-Cliffs Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Ternium SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Vale SA (ADR) 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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