CMC vs ASTL vs NUE Stock Comparison

Commercial Metals, Algoma Steel and Nucor Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CMC COMMERCIAL METALS Co
$65.90 +3.7% 1M +11.0% 1Y
Market cap
$7.27B
P/E
11.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.39B
Div. yield
1.18%
Steel Basic Materials
5 wins
NUE Nucor Corp
$277.64 +15.5% 1M +85.0% 1Y
Market cap
$62.99B
P/E
22.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$36.10B
Div. yield
0.81%
Steel Basic Materials
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionCMCASTLNUELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.27B $518.37M $62.99B NUE
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 11.1x -1.2x 22.0x CMC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.2x — 13.8x CMC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.5% -36.9% +17.2% CMC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.0% -38.2% 8.0% NUE
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.8% 0.0% 11.0% NUE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.1x 0.5x 0.8x ASTL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.18% 0.00% 0.81% CMC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +11.0% +18.5% +85.0% NUE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.0%/yr -14.6%/yr +20.3%/yr NUE
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.0% 68.6% 31.5% NUE
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 61/100 31/100 53/100 CMC

Percentile Scorecard

CMCASTLNUE

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

AxisCMCASTLNUE
Valuation 86 #24 of 165 56 #74 of 165 68 #54 of 165
Growth 62 #58 of 150 5 #143 of 150 52 #73 of 150
Profitability 61 #48 of 122 23 #94 of 122 65 #43 of 122
Financial Health 23 #128 of 166 39 #102 of 166 40 #100 of 166
Shareholder Returns 72 #31 of 107 – 43 #62 of 107
Overall 61 31 53
  • CMC ranked among 177 companies in Metals and Mining
  • ASTL ranked among 177 companies in Metals and Mining
  • NUE 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

PeriodCMCASTLNUESPY
1 month +3.7%+13.8%+15.5% -2.3%
3 months -6.1%+26.0%+6.2% -0.7%
6 months -1.7%+4.7%+23.0% +4.8%
Year to date -4.8%+20.5%+70.2% +10.3%
1 year +11.0%+18.5%+85.0% +10.3%
3 years +44.5%-33.2%+82.3% +73.0%
3 years, per year +13.1%-12.6%+22.2% +20.1%
5 years +101.3%-54.7%+151.8% +61.9%
5 years, per year +15.0%-14.6%+20.3% +10.1%
10 years +320.5%—+476.6% +258.6%
10 years, per year +15.4%—+19.2% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCMCASTLNUESPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.0%68.6%31.5% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 35.7%70.9%31.6% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.362.020.87 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.310.272.70 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.1%-75.5%-48.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -20.8%-14.8%0.0% -3.5%
52-week high $83.21$5.80$277.64 $779.14
52-week low $56.52$3.28$142.66 $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.

MultipleCMCASTLNUE
P/E now vs peer median 11.1xmedian 12.5x -1.2xmedian 12.5x 22.0xmedian 12.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 2.9x 0.4xmedian 2.9x 1.7xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 7.3x -1.2xmedian 7.3x 11.9xmedian 7.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 14.6x 35.1xmedian 14.6x 39.8xmedian 14.6x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 2.1x 2.6xmedian 2.1x 2.7xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median -1.63median 0.28 —median 0.28 -1.29median 0.28

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 monthsCMCASTLNUE
Revenue $9.39B $1.22B $36.10B
Gross profit $1.75B -$302.52M $5.59B
Operating income $854.35M -$203.70M $4.17B
Net income $655.85M -$190.93M $3.26B
Free cash flow $479.12M $14.76M $1.58B
EPS (diluted) $5.86 $-4.27 $12.62
Cash & equivalents – $152.40M $2.48B
Total debt $3.41B $600.00K $7.10B
Shares (diluted) 111.86M 108.70M 228.50M
Enterprise value $6.49B $200.03M $53.53B

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
MetricCMCASTLNUE
P/E 11.1x -1.2x 22.0x
P/FCF 15.2x 35.1x 39.8x
P/Operating cash flow 6.9x 17.1x 14.2x
P/S 0.8x 0.4x 1.7x
P/B 1.5x 2.6x 2.7x
P/Tangible book 1.7x 2.6x 3.1x
EV/EBITDA 7.9x -1.2x 11.9x
EV/EBIT 11.6x -0.6x 16.2x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 0.3x 1.9x
EV/FCF 20.7x 24.8x 42.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.4x 12.1x 15.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.63 – -1.29

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCMCASTLNUE
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.5% -36.9% 17.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.2% – -1.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 43.6% -119.5% 73.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -1.1% – -16.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 458.2% -129.3% 94.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -9.7% – -18.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 674.7% -138.4% 106.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -8.6% – -18.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 690.1% -193.2% 124.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -6.8% – -17.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 48.1% -86.5% 41.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.6% – -19.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 53.4% -83.1% 511.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -13.4% – -37.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCMCASTLNUE
Gross margin 18.6% -24.9% 15.5%
EBITDA margin 13.3% -25.4% 15.7%
Operating margin 9.1% -16.8% 11.5%
Pretax margin 7.6% -20.4% 11.4%
Net margin 7.0% -38.2% 8.0%
FCF margin 5.1% 1.2% 4.4%
Operating cash flow margin 11.3% 2.5% 12.3%
Return on equity 14.2% -419.8% 14.2%
Return on assets 6.5% -26.6% 9.0%
Return on invested capital 9.8% 0.0% 11.0%
Return on capital employed 10.2% -43.3% 13.4%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x -0.2x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% – 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCMCASTLNUE
Debt / assets 33.2% 0.0% 19.2%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x 0.5x 0.8x
Debt / FCF 7.1x 0.0x 4.5x
Liabilities / assets 54.2% 90.1% 37.0%
Equity / assets 45.8% 9.9% 63.0%
Interest coverage 6.0x -8.5x 28.7x
Current ratio 2.3x 2.5x 2.5x
Quick ratio 1.4x 1.0x 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 2.92 -0.82 5.62

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCMCASTLNUE
Dividend yield 1.2% – 0.8%
Net buyback yield 1.4% – 1.0%
Shareholder yield 2.6% 0.0% 1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 12.8% – 15.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) 17.6% – 32.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.5% – -0.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.0% – -0.6%

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.

ConsensusCMCASTLNUE
Forward P/E 10.2xFY2027 – 13.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.49FY2027 $-2.25FY2026 $20.11FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -4.8%FY2027 – +160.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.9% – +6.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $9.59BFY2027 $766.90MFY2026 $39.95BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.1%FY2027 -49.5%FY2026 +22.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.9% +70.9% +8.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCMCASTLNUE
Held by institutions 93.1% 66.4% 79.2%
Institutions holding 522 95 1,543
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.2% +0.2% +2.2%
Institutions buying 263 41 751
Institutions selling 176 36 518
Buyers to sellers 1.49 1.14 1.45

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.

CMCASTLNUE
CMC 1.00 0.41 0.72
ASTL 0.41 1.00 0.31
NUE 0.72 0.31 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CMC, ASTL and NUE?

Nucor (NUE) is the largest by market capitalisation: Commercial Metals (CMC) $7.27B, Algoma Steel (ASTL) $518.37M, Nucor (NUE) $62.99B.

Which stock is cheaper, CMC, ASTL and NUE?

Commercial Metals (CMC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Commercial Metals (CMC) 11.1x, Algoma Steel (ASTL) -1.2x, Nucor (NUE) 22.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Commercial Metals (CMC) is cheapest (Commercial Metals (CMC) 10.2x, Nucor (NUE) 13.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Commercial Metals (CMC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Commercial Metals (CMC) +20.5%, Algoma Steel (ASTL) -36.9%, Nucor (NUE) +17.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nucor (NUE) has the highest net margin (Commercial Metals (CMC) 7.0%, Algoma Steel (ASTL) -38.2%, Nucor (NUE) 8.0%). On return on invested capital, Nucor (NUE) leads (Commercial Metals (CMC) 9.8%, Algoma Steel (ASTL) 0.0%, Nucor (NUE) 11.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nucor (NUE) returned the most: Commercial Metals (CMC) +11.0%, Algoma Steel (ASTL) +18.5%, Nucor (NUE) +85.0%. Over five years, Nucor (NUE) compounded fastest (Commercial Metals (CMC) +15.0%/yr, Algoma Steel (ASTL) -14.6%/yr, Nucor (NUE) +20.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Commercial Metals (CMC) has the highest dividend yield: Commercial Metals (CMC) 1.18%, Algoma Steel (ASTL) 0.00%, Nucor (NUE) 0.81%. Algoma Steel (ASTL) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nucor (NUE) has been the steadiest (Commercial Metals (CMC) 36.0%, Algoma Steel (ASTL) 68.6%, Nucor (NUE) 31.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CMC, ASTL and NUE?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Nucor (NUE) 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.