Steel Dynamics (STLD) reported $4.41 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 14%. EPS of $1.82 for the same period compares to $1.36 a year ago.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.54 billion, representing a surprise of -2.75%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +5.66%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.72.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how Steel Dynamics performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- Steel - Average external sales price (Per ton): 1,107.00 $/ton versus 1,092.10 $/ton estimated by four analysts on average.
- Steel Fabrication - Average sales price (Per ton): 2,509.00 $/ton versus 2,557.62 $/ton estimated by four analysts on average.
- Steel - External Shipments (Tons): 2,837.13 KTon versus the four-analyst average estimate of 2,939.28 KTon.
- Steel Fabrication - Shipments (Tons): 138.38 KTon versus the four-analyst average estimate of 141.93 KTon.
- Steel - Average ferrous cost (Per ton melted): 374.00 $/ton versus 372.25 $/ton estimated by four analysts on average.
- Steel - Flat Roll shipments - Butler, Columbus and Sinton: 1,902.35 KTon versus the three-analyst average estimate of 1,997.20 KTon.
- Metals Recycling - Ferrous shipments (Gross tons): 1,521.63 KTon versus 1,439.91 KTon estimated by three analysts on average.
- External Net Sales- Steel Fabrication: $347.25 million compared to the $362.78 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -12.4% year over year.
- External Net Sales- Metals Recycling: $463.04 million compared to the $471.84 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -4% year over year.
- External Net Sales- Steel: $3.14 billion versus $3.21 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +18.7% change.
- External Net Sales- Other: $304.64 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $317.61 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +5.9%.
- External Net Sales- Aluminum: $157.75 million compared to the $234.23 million average estimate based on three analysts.
View all Key Company Metrics for Steel Dynamics here>>>
Shares of Steel Dynamics have returned +3.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
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Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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