Is ON Semiconductor Corporation (ON) a Buy in April 2026?

Steel Dynamics, Inc. currently trades at a trailing twelve-month P/E ratio of 19.11x, representing a premium of approximately 16.3% to its own three-year historical average of 16.43x and a 23.1% premium to the industry average of 15.52x. The expansion in the earnings multiple relative to both reference points suggests the market is pricing in either a cyclical earnings trough — compressing the denominator — or assigning STLD incremental strategic value tied to its capital deployment pipeline.

The elevated P/E relative to peers and the company’s own history warrants caution on a pure earnings-multiple basis. Until net income demonstrates a recovery trajectory sufficient to compress the ratio toward the 15–16x historical corridor, this metric issues a tentative neutral-to-cautious signal for valuation-sensitive institutional buyers.

On a price-to-sales basis, Steel Dynamics, Inc. trades at 1.38x TTM revenues, marginally below its three-year historical average of 1.43x and substantially below the industry average of 3.11x. The steep discount to the sector P/S benchmark is largely a function of STLD’s commodity-oriented revenue base, which inherently commands lower margin assumptions and therefore lower revenue multiples relative to specialty or diversified materials peers.

The current P/S sitting near historical norms and well inside industry levels suggests revenue is not being excessively capitalized. From a revenue-multiple standpoint, STLD appears reasonably anchored, generating a tentative neutral-to-mildly constructive signal, contingent on the revenue run-rate sustaining above trough levels.

Steel Dynamics, Inc. registers a TTM P/FCF ratio of 39.43x, a figure that appears elevated in isolation but must be contextualized against the three-year historical average of -49.11x — a negative value reflecting periods of net negative free cash flow driven by heavy capital expenditure cycles. The current positive FCF generation marks a meaningful operational improvement. Relative to the industry average of 55.15x, STLD trades at a notable discount, indicating the market is not fully crediting its free cash flow conversion relative to sector peers.

The normalization of free cash flow from historically negative territory toward a positive 39.43x multiple represents a structural improvement in capital cycle maturity. With STLD generating positive FCF and trading below the industry FCF multiple, this metric issues a tentative constructive signal, though monitoring capex intensity in upcoming quarters remains essential.

Steel Dynamics, Inc. trades at a TTM P/OCF multiple of 18.14x, above its three-year historical average of 12.50x and materially above the industry average of 9.82x. The premium to both benchmarks indicates that operating cash flow has moderated relative to the market capitalization, consistent with a mid-cycle normalization in steel spreads compressing EBITDA-level cash generation from prior-cycle peaks.

The P/OCF premium to historical norms and the sector average is a notable concern, as it implies investors are paying more per dollar of operating cash flow than at any point in the recent historical window. This metric issues a tentative cautious signal, suggesting that OCF must accelerate materially to justify the current multiple on a cash-yield basis.

Steel Dynamics, Inc. posts a TTM net margin of 7.75%, below its own three-year historical average of 8.88% and significantly below the reported industry average of 19.54%. The compression versus the historical mean reflects the normalization of hot-rolled coil spreads and downstream fabrication margins from the elevated levels observed during the 2021–2022 steel supercycle. The gap to the industry average is pronounced; however, the peer set likely includes higher-margin specialty materials companies, making a direct comparison less definitive for a commodity steel producer.

The declining net margin trajectory relative to the company’s own history signals that STLD is operating in a margin compression phase. Until pricing spreads recover or cost efficiencies offset volume-driven headwinds, this metric issues a tentative cautious signal on near-term profitability quality.

Steel Dynamics, Inc. carries a TTM debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46x, modestly above its three-year historical average of 0.39x and materially above the industry average of 0.17x. The incremental leverage uptick relative to history is consistent with the company’s active capital expenditure program, including capacity expansion initiatives. While 0.46x remains manageable in absolute terms, the deviation from the sector median warrants monitoring, particularly in a higher-for-longer interest rate environment.

The leverage profile, while elevated versus industry norms, does not yet represent a structural risk given STLD’s cash flow generation capacity and investment-grade balance sheet characteristics. Nevertheless, the directional increase from the three-year average issues a tentative neutral signal, with the key variable being whether future FCF generation is sufficient to delever organically as capex normalizes.

Analyzing the eight most recent quarters, Steel Dynamics, Inc. exhibited a revenue range spanning approximately $3.87 billion at the trough (Q3) to $5.20 billion at the most recent quarter (Q8), with an intermediate low in Q3 representing a 16.5% sequential contraction before a material recovery. Net profit followed a similarly non-linear path, declining from $428 million in Q1 to a trough of approximately $207 million in Q3 before recovering to $403 million in Q8, the most recent period. The Q8 revenue print of $5.20 billion represents the highest in the observed window, a constructive data point.

The trajectory pattern describes a cyclical trough and recovery arc consistent with steel market dynamics, with Q8 revenue and profit recovery signaling positive momentum. The most recent quarterly profit of $403 million approaching the Q1 peak level of $428 million on higher revenue suggests improving operational leverage. This trend issues a tentative constructive signal, contingent on sustaining the revenue inflection above the $5 billion threshold in subsequent quarters.

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) currently trades at $222.25, precisely at its all-time high, registering a 0.0% drawdown from the ATH. The complete absence of any drawdown from the peak is a technically significant data point, indicating that the market is in full price-discovery mode with no overhead supply resistance. At all-time highs, the stock carries the dual characteristic of absolute price momentum strength and elevated entry-point risk from a mean-reversion perspective.

Trading at an all-time high with no technical support from prior consolidation zones introduces asymmetric downside risk for institutional allocators deploying capital at current levels. While the price action reflects strong market conviction in STLD’s strategic positioning, the lack of any pullback or base-building structure issues a tentative neutral-to-cautious signal from a risk-adjusted entry standpoint, favoring staged accumulation strategies over immediate full-position deployment.