Steel Dynamics Raises Dividend 6% on Cash Generation Strength

Steel Dynamics, Inc. STLD recently announced that its board of directors has approved a 6% increase in the company’s first-quarter 2026 cash dividend, raising the payout to 53 cents per share compared with the quarterly rate in 2025. 

This dividend will be payable on or about April 10, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 31, 2026, highlighting the company’s continued commitment to returning capital to shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. 

Steel Dynamics ended the fourth quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $769.9 million, up around 31% year over year. The company generated cash flow from operations of $272.7 million in the reported quarter. STLD returned capital to shareholders in 2025 through $291 million in dividends and $901 million in share buybacks. 

The year-over-year increase reflects continued confidence in Steel Dynamics’ financial strength, cash flow generation and prospects for long-term growth in its core steelmaking operations. The company has steadily increased its dividend six times in the past five years, reflecting a disciplined capital allocation strategy even as it invests in capacity expansion and operational improvements across its business segments. 

Shares of STLD have risen 42.5% over the past year compared with the industry’s 56.2% growth. 

STLD’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

STLD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). 

Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Albemarle Corporation ALB, DuPont de Nemours, Inc. DD and Centerra Gold, Inc. CGAU. ALB, DD and CGAU carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $6.99 per share, indicating a 985% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average surprise being 58%. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DD’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $2.28 per share, suggesting a 36% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 6.5%. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CGAU’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.68 per share, indicating a 51.4% year-over-year decline. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 29.4%. 

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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