Service Centers

Ryerson swings to Q3 loss amid difficult business climate
Written by Ethan Bernard
October 29, 2024
Ryerson Holding Corp.
Third quarter ended Sept. 30 | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
---|---|---|---|
Net sales | $1,126.6 | $1,246.7 | -9.6% |
Net earnings (loss) | $(6.6 ) | $35.0 | -118.9% |
Per diluted share | $(0.20 ) | $1.00 | -120% |
Nine months ended Sept. 30 | |||
Net sales | $3,591.3 | $3,996.3 | -10.1% |
Net earnings (loss) | $(4.3 ) | $119.9 | -103.6% |
Per diluted share | $(0.13 ) | $3.34 | -103.9% |
Ryerson swung to a loss in the third quarter of 2024 as it navigated a “contractionary” environment in industrial metals and manufacturing.
The Chicago-based service center group reported a net loss attributable to Ryerson of $6.6 million in Q3’24 vs. net income of $35 million a year earlier. Sales slid nearly 10% to $1.13 billion in the same comparison.
Eddie Lehner, Ryerson’s president, CEO, and director, said in a statement on Tuesday:
“Two things can be true at the same time:
1) The industry is experiencing a cyclical bottoming marked by 24 months of moving average demand and price contraction; and
2) Ryerson’s record investments in systems, capital expenditures, and acquisitions over this same period are positioning the company well for the next cyclical upturn.”
The company said Q3 revenue performance was hurt by “seasonal and weather-impacted volume declines of 4.5%, in addition to average selling prices decreasing 3.7%.”
Lehner noted that despite the challenging conditions, the company experienced improvements in some key performance indicators. These included cash flow and expense and working capital management.
Ryerson shipped 382,000 short tons of carbon steel in Q3’24, off 3.8% from the previous quarter but up 3% from the same period a year earlier.
Outlook
Looking ahead, Lehner said, “We are seeing investment-related growth pains and disruptions across our network beginning to subside as we move through the balance of 2024, with budding optimism for 2025.”
For Q4’24, Ryerson expects customer shipments to seasonally and counter-cyclically decline 8% to 10% from the prior quarter.
Net sales in Q4’24 are anticipated to be in the range of $1.00 billion to $1.04 billion. Average selling prices are seen between falling 1% to increasing 1%.

Ethan Bernard
Read more from Ethan BernardLatest in Service Centers

Steel Summit: Service center CEOs share straight talk on markets, customers, future
The chief executives from Majestic Steel, Olympic Steel, and Worthington Steel swapped notes on inventory discipline, customer trust, and the race to turn AI from hype into results.

Steel Summit: Analysts say demand likely to struggle until 2027
Steel industry analysts at this year's SMU Steel Summit said they see lackluster demand through this year and next.

Varsteel acquires Reliable Tube and Spartan Metal Processing
Varsteel Ltd. announced two new strategic acquisitions. The Canadian service center stated that the acquisitions position it to meet a wider range of steel product needs.

Steel Summit: Reliance CEO eyes potential M&A in Mexico, highlights tech plans
Karla Lewis, president and CEO of Reliance Inc., told attendees of SMU’s Steel Summit 2025 that North America’s largest service center company is eyeing strategic opportunities in Mexico.

Galvanized steel prices slip while demand remains flat: HARDI
Galvanized steel prices dipped to ~$48/hundredweight in August from the $50-59/hundredweight range during the month of July.