30 years of historical data (1995–2024) · Basic Materials · Steel
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
Olympic Steel, Inc. trades at 24.3x earnings, 140% above its 5-year average of 10.1x, sitting at the 80th percentile of its historical range. This is roughly in line with the Basic Materials sector median P/E of 23.6x. On a free-cash-flow basis, the stock trades at 127.1x P/FCF, 400% above the 5-year average of 25.4x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $533M | $383M | $772M | $388M | $270M | $153M | $206M | $163M | $245M | $272M | $130M |
| Enterprise Value | $834M | $684M | $995M | $578M | $624M | $342M | $420M | $456M | $439M | $436M | $276M |
| P/E Ratio → | 24.29 | 16.65 | 17.32 | 4.27 | 2.23 | — | 52.71 | 4.84 | 12.87 | — | — |
| P/S Ratio | 0.27 | 0.20 | 0.36 | 0.15 | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.10 | 0.18 | 0.26 | 0.11 |
| P/B Ratio | 0.97 | 0.67 | 1.39 | 0.75 | 0.64 | 0.51 | 0.67 | 0.53 | 0.90 | 1.07 | 0.51 |
| P/FCF | 127.14 | 91.39 | 5.02 | 2.34 | — | 2.94 | 1.73 | — | — | — | 1.29 |
| P/OCF | 15.82 | 11.38 | 4.41 | 2.09 | — | 2.47 | 1.59 | — | — | — | 1.21 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 10.6x EBITDA, 27% above its 5-year average of 8.4x. This is roughly in line with the Basic Materials sector median of 11.0x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 0.35 | 0.46 | 0.23 | 0.27 | 0.28 | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.33 | 0.41 | 0.24 |
| EV / EBITDA | 10.59 | 8.68 | 9.49 | 3.75 | 3.23 | 16.62 | 11.61 | 6.08 | 10.31 | 17.33 | — |
| EV / EBIT | 17.42 | 14.32 | 12.83 | 4.32 | 3.62 | 684.12 | 25.33 | 8.04 | 18.38 | 76.54 | — |
| EV / FCF | — | 163.17 | 6.47 | 3.48 | — | 6.60 | 3.52 | — | — | — | 2.76 |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Olympic Steel, Inc. earns an operating margin of 2.5%, below the Basic Materials sector average of 10.3%. Operating margins have compressed from 5.2% to 2.5% over the past 3 years, signaling potential cost pressures or competitive headwinds. ROE of 4.1% is modest. ROIC of 4.3% represents below-average returns on invested capital.
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 23.2% | 23.2% | 21.9% | 19.0% | 22.1% | 20.7% | 18.9% | 19.9% | 20.7% | 22.3% | 19.8% |
| Operating Margin | 2.5% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 5.2% | 7.5% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.5% | -2.4% |
| Net Profit Margin | 1.2% | 1.2% | 2.1% | 3.6% | 5.2% | -0.5% | 0.2% | 2.0% | 1.4% | -0.1% | -2.3% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 4.1% | 4.1% | 8.3% | 19.3% | 33.4% | -1.8% | 1.3% | 11.6% | 7.2% | -0.4% | -10.0% |
| ROA | 2.3% | 2.3% | 4.7% | 9.5% | 14.5% | -0.9% | 0.5% | 4.9% | 3.3% | -0.2% | -4.4% |
| ROIC | 4.3% | 4.3% | 7.8% | 13.5% | 20.4% | 0.1% | 2.2% | 8.0% | 4.1% | 1.1% | -4.5% |
| ROCE | 5.6% | 5.6% | 10.1% | 17.5% | 26.3% | 0.1% | 2.8% | 10.1% | 5.1% | 1.3% | -5.5% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
Olympic Steel, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 4.0x, which is moderately leveraged (63% above the sector average of 2.4x). Net debt stands at $301M ($313M total debt minus $12M cash). Interest coverage of just 2.9x is concerning — the company has limited headroom to absorb earnings volatility before struggling with debt service.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.43 | 0.39 | 0.86 | 0.65 | 0.71 | 0.99 | 0.72 | 0.66 | 0.58 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 3.97 | 3.97 | 2.25 | 1.31 | 1.88 | 9.47 | 6.07 | 4.03 | 4.63 | 6.62 | — |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 0.52 | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.83 | 0.63 | 0.69 | 0.96 | 0.71 | 0.65 | 0.58 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 3.82 | 3.82 | 2.13 | 1.23 | 1.83 | 9.21 | 5.91 | 3.90 | 4.56 | 6.53 | — |
| Debt / FCF | — | 71.78 | 1.45 | 1.14 | — | 3.65 | 1.79 | — | — | — | 1.47 |
| Interest Coverage | 2.90 | 2.90 | 4.85 | 13.26 | 22.60 | 0.07 | 1.47 | 5.31 | 3.17 | 1.08 | -4.90 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s current ratio of 4.38x is well above the 1.0 safety threshold, indicating strong short-term liquidity with ample room to cover current liabilities. The quick ratio of 1.43x is notably lower than the current ratio, indicating a significant portion of current assets is tied up in inventory. The current ratio has improved from 4.00x to 4.38x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 4.38 | 4.38 | 3.35 | 4.00 | 3.52 | 3.17 | 4.15 | 4.38 | 3.78 | 3.48 | 4.01 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.20 | 1.46 | 1.36 | 1.28 | 1.45 | 1.51 | 1.30 | 1.05 | 1.33 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 1.86 | 2.19 | 2.87 | 2.26 | 1.93 | 2.43 | 2.25 | 2.20 | 1.90 | 2.29 |
| Inventory Turnover | 3.82 | 3.82 | 4.36 | 4.97 | 3.72 | 4.08 | 4.68 | 3.72 | 3.83 | 3.22 | 4.56 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 31.23 | 32.33 | 31.34 | 44.92 | 44.84 | 30.88 | 37.30 | 36.41 | 35.25 | 28.84 |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Olympic Steel, Inc. returns 1.2% to shareholders annually primarily through dividends. The payout ratio of 29.1% is conservative, leaving significant room for dividend growth or reinvestment. The earnings yield of 4.1% (inverse of P/E) provides a useful comparison to bond yields when assessing the stock's relative attractiveness to fixed income.
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 1.2% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Payout Ratio | 29.1% | 29.1% | 12.5% | 4.4% | 0.7% | — | 22.8% | 2.6% | 4.6% | — | — |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 4.1% | 6.0% | 5.8% | 23.4% | 44.8% | — | 1.9% | 20.7% | 7.8% | — | — |
| FCF Yield | 0.8% | 1.1% | 19.9% | 42.8% | — | 34.0% | 57.9% | — | — | — | 77.3% |
| Buyback Yield | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 1.2% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $12M | $12M | $12M | $12M | $11M | $12M | $11M | $11M | $11M | $11M |
Compare ZEUS with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $533M | 24.3 | 10.6 | 127.1 | 23.2% | 2.5% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 4.0 | |
| $20B | 28.4 | 16.9 | 40.3 | 26.8% | 7.2% | 10.3% | 8.9% | 1.5 | |
| $8B | 24.3 | 15.8 | 28.0 | 45.9% | 19.0% | 18.0% | 15.9% | 0.9 | |
| $733M | -16.6 | 6.0 | 17.3 | 7.1% | 3.5% | -6.6% | 4.3% | 3.1 | |
| $36B | 31.3 | 19.6 | 72.2 | 13.0% | 8.1% | 13.3% | 9.2% | 2.1 | |
| $8B | 97.8 | 10.4 | 25.7 | 15.6% | 6.7% | 2.0% | 8.5% | 1.7 | |
| $56B | 32.4 | 14.6 | — | 11.9% | 8.2% | 8.0% | 7.7% | 1.7 | |
| $7B | -4.1 | — | — | -4.6% | -7.5% | -22.4% | -7.5% | — | |
| $3B | 31.5 | 31.1 | 18.7 | 27.6% | 4.3% | 10.5% | 3.8% | 3.3 | |
| $3B | 27.0 | 13.0 | — | 9.5% | 5.7% | 15.1% | 7.8% | 3.6 | |
| $459B | 52.4 | 36.5 | 44.6 | 32.3% | 16.6% | 43.5% | 15.9% | 3.2 | |
| Basic Materials Median | — | 23.6 | 11.0 | 29.0 | 30.9% | 10.3% | -0.0% | 4.6% | 2.4 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
DCF models, multiple analysis, and analyst estimates.
10-year return with dividends reinvested.
See how regular investing compounds over time.
Compare growth, multiples, and margins vs sector.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying ZEUS stock.
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is 24.3x. The historical average is 25.8x. This places it at the 80th percentile of its historical range.
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 10.6x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 11.6x.
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is 4.1%. The historical average is 5.6%.
Based on historical data, Olympic Steel, Inc. is trading at a P/E of 24.3x. This is at the 80th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s current dividend yield is 1.20% with a payout ratio of 29.1%.
Olympic Steel, Inc. has 23.2% gross margin and 2.5% operating margin.
Olympic Steel, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 4.0x, indicating high leverage. A ratio between 2-4x is manageable but warrants monitoring.