Ryerson shrinks loss in first quarter

Ryerson Holding Corp. shrank its net loss in the first quarter vs. last year.

The Chicago-based service center reported a first-quarter loss of $5.3 million, an improvement compared to a loss of $7.4 million in Q1’24. Meanwhile, the company generated net sales of $1.14 billion and shipped 500,000 tons, up from 497,000 tons a year ago. Revenue rose to nearly $1.14 billion, up from nearly $1.24 billion last year.

“We realized improved plant productivity benchmarks, excellent working capital management, and cost controls in place and functioning as intended,” said CEO Eddie Lehner. “We also realized market share growth in the quarter whereby strong spot-transactional business offset slow OEM contract business and OEM contract price lag effects.”

“In summary, we’re getting better and positioning the company well for sustaining shareholder value creation even amidst near-term cyclical industry conditions that are uniquely challenging but vitally important to the long-term health of manufacturing in the US and North America,” Lehner continued.

Outlook

For Q2’25, Ryerson expects customer shipments to be between a decrease of 1% to an increase of 1% quarter over-quarter, reflecting tariff-related uncertainty and weaker seasonal volume patterns as customers prioritize destocking. Net sales are projected to range between $1.15 billion and $1.19 billion, with average selling prices increasing 3% to 4%.