AA vs CENX vs STLD Stock Comparison

Alcoa, Century Aluminum and Steel Dynamics Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AA Alcoa Corp
$38.34 -11.2% 1M +7.3% 1Y
Market cap
$10.12B
P/E
6.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.31B
Div. yield
1.04%
Aluminum Basic Materials
1 win
CENX Century Aluminum Co
$29.97 -19.4% 1M +4.6% 1Y
Market cap
$2.97B
P/E
3.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.00B
Div. yield
–
Aluminum Basic Materials
6 wins
STLD Steel Dynamics Inc
$221.90 -6.8% 1M +44.0% 1Y
Market cap
$31.61B
P/E
16.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$22.22B
Div. yield
0.94%
Steel Basic Materials
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Century Aluminum leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Century Aluminum 6, Steel Dynamics 5, Alcoa 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAACENXSTLDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $10.12B $2.97B $31.61B STLD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 6.6x 3.3x 16.3x CENX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 5.9x 3.2x 13.0x CENX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.2% +18.7% +26.0% STLD
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.7% 29.8% 8.8% CENX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 22.4% 41.7% 14.6% CENX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.1x -0.2x 1.0x CENX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.04% 0.00% 0.94% AA
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +7.3% +4.6% +44.0% STLD
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -4.3%/yr +17.9%/yr +27.8%/yr STLD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 53.5% 63.2% 36.9% STLD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 69/100 82/100 57/100 CENX

Percentile Scorecard

AACENXSTLD

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAACENXSTLD
Valuation 95 #9 of 169 99 #3 of 169 70 #51 of 169
Growth 79 #33 of 153 99 #3 of 153 52 #74 of 153
Profitability 68 #40 of 123 78 #28 of 123 64 #45 of 123
Financial Health 26 #122 of 165 51 #82 of 165 32 #112 of 165
Shareholder Returns 75 #30 of 116 – 65 #41 of 116
Overall 69 82 57
  • AA ranked among 177 companies in Metals and Mining
  • CENX ranked among 177 companies in Metals and Mining
  • STLD ranked among 177 companies in Metals and Mining

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAACENXSTLDSPY
1 month -11.2%-19.4%-6.8% -5.9%
3 months -19.2%-34.8%-15.1% -4.6%
6 months -38.8%-50.5%-4.7% +0.2%
Year to date -27.9%-23.5%+31.0% +7.5%
1 year +7.3%+4.6%+44.0% +8.2%
3 years +47.6%+340.1%+98.5% +68.3%
3 years, per year +13.9%+63.9%+25.7% +19.0%
5 years -19.9%+128.1%+241.2% +56.5%
5 years, per year -4.3%+17.9%+27.8% +9.4%
10 years +52.1%+335.0%+705.4% +251.5%
10 years, per year +4.3%+15.8%+23.2% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureAACENXSTLDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 53.5%63.2%36.9% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 53.0%64.4%38.3% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.531.501.06 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.140.071.19 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -76.3%-82.1%-32.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -54.2%-56.4%-21.5% -5.9%
52-week high $83.79$68.77$282.76 $779.14
52-week low $35.74$26.19$151.94 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAACENXSTLD
P/E now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 12.9x 3.3xmedian 12.9x 16.3xmedian 12.9x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 3.1x 1.0xmedian 3.1x 1.4xmedian 3.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 7.6x 2.7xmedian 7.6x 10.8xmedian 7.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.4xmedian 12.2x 5.6xmedian 12.2x 28.9xmedian 12.2x
P/B now vs peer median 1.2xmedian 2.2x 1.6xmedian 2.2x 3.2xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.14median 0.19 0.04median 0.19 -2.92median 0.19

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAACENXSTLD
Revenue $14.31B $3.00B $22.22B
Gross profit $3.14B $740.20M $3.53B
Operating income $2.73B $919.20M $2.56B
Net income $1.51B $891.20M $1.95B
Free cash flow $890.00M $526.30M $1.09B
R&D $18.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $5.74 $8.47 $13.58
Cash & equivalents $4.41B $713.00M $928.56M
Total debt $4.82B $480.30M $4.20B
Shares (diluted) 266.00M 105.20M 143.62M
Enterprise value $1.41B $1.67B $28.21B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAACENXSTLD
P/E 6.6x 3.3x 16.3x
P/FCF 11.4x 5.6x 28.9x
P/Operating cash flow 6.3x 4.0x 18.7x
P/S 0.7x 1.0x 1.4x
P/B 1.2x 1.6x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 1.2x 1.6x 3.3x
EV/EBITDA 3.1x 2.7x 10.8x
EV/EBIT 3.9x 3.0x 13.6x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 0.9x 1.6x
EV/FCF 11.8x 5.2x 31.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.5x 3.7x 20.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.14 0.04 -2.92

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAACENXSTLD
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.2% 18.7% 26.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.5% 10.8% 4.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 32.5% 237.8% 53.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 70.3% 181.7% -6.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 169.5% 500.4% 82.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 144.7% 226.9% -9.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 34.9% 1,041% 72.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 52.7% 88.3% -10.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.8% 944.2% 77.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 46.5% 84.9% -5.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 51.4% 1,694% 11.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 426.9% 345.4% -23.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 71.5% 1,507% 252.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 55.6% 111.5% -22.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAACENXSTLD
Gross margin 21.9% 24.7% 15.9%
EBITDA margin 23.7% 33.4% 14.4%
Operating margin 19.0% 30.7% 11.5%
Pretax margin 11.3% 29.5% 11.2%
Net margin 10.7% 29.8% 8.8%
FCF margin 6.2% 17.6% 4.9%
Operating cash flow margin 11.2% 24.5% 7.6%
Return on equity 19.3% 51.5% 20.5%
Return on assets 8.1% 28.8% 11.2%
Return on invested capital 22.4% 41.7% 14.6%
Return on capital employed 18.6% 36.4% 17.1%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 0.8x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 1.5% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAACENXSTLD
Debt / assets 23.7% 15.1% 23.6%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.3x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.1x -0.2x 1.0x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 0.9x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 59.5% 41.8% 44.8%
Equity / assets 40.5% 58.2% 55.2%
Interest coverage 21.1x 22.3x 18.4x
Current ratio 2.3x 3.5x 3.1x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.7x 1.4x
Cash ratio 1.1x 1.4x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 2.02 3.38 5.81

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAACENXSTLD
Dividend yield 1.0% – 0.9%
Net buyback yield – – 2.6%
Shareholder yield 1.0% 0.0% 3.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 7.0% – 15.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 11.9% – 27.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.9% – 3.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 14.3% – 4.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAACENXSTLD
Forward P/E 5.9xFY2026 3.2xFY2026 13.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.50FY2026 $9.48FY2026 $17.07FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +72.4%FY2026 +285.4%FY2026 +113.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -11.4% +19.7% +21.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $13.81BFY2026 $3.18BFY2026 $22.94BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.6%FY2026 +25.9%FY2026 +26.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.9% +33.3% +16.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAACENXSTLD
Held by institutions 77.8% 100.0% 82.7%
Institutions holding 711 415 1,025
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.9% +3.2% +1.2%
Institutions buying 357 264 502
Institutions selling 244 111 371
Buyers to sellers 1.46 2.38 1.35

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AACENXSTLD
AA 1.00 0.72 0.40
CENX 0.72 1.00 0.38
STLD 0.40 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AA, CENX and STLD?

Steel Dynamics (STLD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alcoa (AA) $10.12B, Century Aluminum (CENX) $2.97B, Steel Dynamics (STLD) $31.61B.

Which stock is cheaper, AA, CENX and STLD?

Century Aluminum (CENX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alcoa (AA) 6.6x, Century Aluminum (CENX) 3.3x, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 16.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Century Aluminum (CENX) is cheapest (Alcoa (AA) 5.9x, Century Aluminum (CENX) 3.2x, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 13.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Steel Dynamics (STLD) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alcoa (AA) +11.2%, Century Aluminum (CENX) +18.7%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) +26.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Century Aluminum (CENX) has the highest net margin (Alcoa (AA) 10.7%, Century Aluminum (CENX) 29.8%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 8.8%). On return on invested capital, Century Aluminum (CENX) leads (Alcoa (AA) 22.4%, Century Aluminum (CENX) 41.7%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 14.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Steel Dynamics (STLD) returned the most: Alcoa (AA) +7.3%, Century Aluminum (CENX) +4.6%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) +44.0%. Over five years, Steel Dynamics (STLD) compounded fastest (Alcoa (AA) -4.3%/yr, Century Aluminum (CENX) +17.9%/yr, Steel Dynamics (STLD) +27.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Alcoa (AA) has the highest dividend yield: Alcoa (AA) 1.04%, Century Aluminum (CENX) 0.00%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 0.94%. Century Aluminum (CENX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Steel Dynamics (STLD) has been the steadiest (Alcoa (AA) 53.5%, Century Aluminum (CENX) 63.2%, Steel Dynamics (STLD) 36.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AA, CENX and STLD?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Century Aluminum (CENX) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.