Stock fact sheet · data as of
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol CLF · Basic Materials · Steel · United States · Speculative
Is CLF undervalued?
At 12.84 (close of 5 Nov 2026), CLF trades 42% below the GLS average fair value of 22.31. That average comes from 1 models run on the latest filings, and 1 of them land above the current price. Margins of safety over 30% are the exception rather than the rule across the ~7,400 stocks we value each night, so the number earns Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. the full Value points in the Wheel Score - and a closer look at what the market is pricing in.
The average is built from just 1 models (DCF) - the rest returned nothing because an input they need (dividends, free cash flow, book value) is zero or negative - so treat it with more caution than usual.
The nightly engine files CLF under Speculative - it is losing money or its Piotroski health score is 3 or lower - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.
Nine valuation models for CLF
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 22.31 | +74% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | - | - | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields; no value tonight |
| Lynch | - | - | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25%; no value tonight |
| GLS Growth | - | - | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year; no value tonight |
| 10 Cap | - | - | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10%; no value tonight |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | - | - | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth; no value tonight |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -12.71 | -199% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 14.00 | +9% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. A GLS Moat score of 3.4/10 is a weak reading: the accounts do not show returns and margins that competitors have been unable to wear down, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -10.3%, ROE -24.2%, ROA -7.4% - with debt at 1.34 times equity and negative free cash flow.
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Steelmaking 92%, Other Businesses 9% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales; the last recorded insider buy was on 22 Oct 2026.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | -10.3% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 3.4 / 10 | ROE | -24.2% |
| Debt / equity | 1.34 | ROA | -7.4% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | -6.6% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 50: Fair
A Wheel Score of 50 keeps Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. under 70, the mark only a stock that passes all 9 Wheel Trade Filters can reach: it fails filter 2, a real business, not a gamble - speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score); and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6); and filter 5, can repay its debt - debt with no positive cash flow to repay it. The parts: value strong, premium strong, moat weak, health fair, red flags strong, option trading strong, stability weak.
Implied volatility is 66% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - above the 60% top of the sweet spot. It still passes the 25-80% filter, but the Wheel Score rewards it less because volatility this high usually comes with a reason. The option chain is deep: 409,304 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.
Volume runs at 27.2M shares a day on a market cap of $7.3B, with a beta of 2.00 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that weak.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Fails | speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score) |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | debt with no positive cash flow to repay it |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 42% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 66% | |
| Moat | Weak | moat 3.4/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 90/100 | |
| Option trading | Strong | 74,149 contracts a day, 409,304 open interest | |
| Stability | Weak | beta 2.00, $7.3B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for CLF in the nightly calendar.
Analysts upgraded CLF 1 time in the last 30 days with no downgrades; the latest action was a reiterated rating by B. Riley on 22 Oct 2026.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Steel
The 12 companies below are the closest to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. by market cap within the Steel industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMC Commercial Metals Company | 66.46 | 59.09 | -12% | 37Weak | $7.3B |
| GGB Gerdau S.A. | 4.60 | 5.98 | +23% | 49Weak | $9.1B |
| TX Ternium S.A. | 51.40 | 38.52 | -33% | 36Weak | $10.1B |
| SIM Grupo Simec, S.A.B. de C.V. | 24.80 | 23.39 | -6% | 19No options | $4.1B |
| CRS Carpenter Technology Corporation | 292.10 | 252.04 | -16% | 40Weak | $14.5B |
| PKX POSCO Holdings Inc. | 51.60 | 44.28 | -17% | 32Weak | $15.6B |
| RS Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. | 441.95 | 213.86 | -107% | 31Weak | $22.5B |
| WS Worthington Steel, Inc. | 40.48 | 25.82 | -57% | 25Weak | $2.1B |
| STLD Steel Dynamics, Inc. | 240.12 | 129.26 | -86% | 42Weak | $34.1B |
| MT ArcelorMittal S.A. | 62.49 | 52.01 | -20% | 41Weak | $47.1B |
| SID Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional | 0.7766 | 8.77 | +91% | 27Weak | $1.0B |
| SXC SunCoke Energy, Inc. | 10.45 | 20.15 | +48% | 46Weak | $887M |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about CLF
Is CLF undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 12.84 the stock is 42% below the average fair value of 22.31 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of CLF and what does it mean?
CLF scores 50 out of 100 (Fair) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 2, 4, 5. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for CLF?
22.31 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 1 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for CLF in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does CLF have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 302 listed contracts with 409,304 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 66% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.