POSCO (PKX) Stock Analysis

November 11, 2026

This is a peer-relative look at POSCO (PKX): its performance, risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividend, and valuation are each measured against its Materials peers, so every number reads in context rather than in isolation.

Company Profile

POSCO (PKX) trades as an ADR rather than ordinary local shares — read it with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile fields for POSCO (PKX)
Profile Item	PKX
Name	POSCO Holdings Inc. American Depositary Receipt
Country/Region	South Korea
GICS Sector	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Steel
Market Capitalization	14.79 billion USD
Currency	USD
Exchange	NYSE
Listing Date	October 14, 1994
Security Type	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PKX

GSPC

POSCO (PKX) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for POSCO (PKX) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for POSCO (PKX) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
Total Return (1Y)	-4.84%	19.59%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-15.65%	18.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.81%	5.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PKX

GSPC

POSCO (PKX) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for POSCO (PKX) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	46.00%	52.82%
Beta (5Y)	1.71	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-68.71%	-58.44%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Each dot is a stock plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. PKX is highlighted; the dashed line is the Capital Allocation Line from the risk-free rate through the industry median — dots above it are stronger on a risk-adjusted basis.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.20	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.30	0.47

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) posts ROE of 2.21%, roughly around the peer group’s normal range. Shareholders’ equity is producing a return that looks broadly typical for the industry.

PKX

Materials industry group

2.21%

Group distribution

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
PKX: 2.21%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Largest peers

SCCO: 52.88%
NEM: 27.26%
BHP: 24.00%
AEM: 23.24%
RIO: 19.31%
LIN: 17.72%
PKX: 2.21%

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on ROE within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Net Margin (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) keeps 1.89% of revenue as net profit, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal net margin range. Its full cost stack is taking a typical share of sales for the industry.

PKX

Materials industry group

1.89%

Group distribution

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
PKX: 1.89%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Largest peers

AEM: 41.01%
SCCO: 37.16%
NEM: 34.73%
RIO: 19.59%
LIN: 19.34%
BHP: 16.73%
PKX: 1.89%

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on net margin within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Operating Margin (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) turns 4.26% of revenue into operating profit, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal operating margin range. Its core cost structure looks typical for the industry.

PKX

Materials industry group

4.26%

Group distribution

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
PKX: 4.26%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Largest peers

SCCO: 59.94%
AEM: 55.49%
NEM: 49.99%
BHP: 43.34%
RIO: 28.05%
LIN: 27.97%
PKX: 4.26%

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on operating margin within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Profitability Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
ROE (TTM)	2.21%	8.76%
ROA (TTM)	1.31%	4.42%
Net Margin (TTM)	1.89%	5.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)	4.26%	12.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	7.87%	27.57%

Growth

Revenue Growth

POSCO (PKX) grew revenue -6.09%, in the lower peer quartile. The top line is expanding more slowly than at most peers, which can reflect softer demand, lost share, or weaker pricing.

POSCO (PKX): Revenue Growth across different time periods, set against Materials industry-group medians.

EPS Growth

POSCO (PKX) grew earnings per share -29.00%, roughly around the peer group's normal range. Bottom-line momentum looks broadly typical for the industry.

POSCO (PKX): EPS Growth across different time periods, set against Materials industry-group medians.

Growth Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.09%	8.36%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-6.72%	0.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-29.00%	-1.73%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-39.42%	2.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) has current ratio of 1.98, in the healthier middle range for its industry. The short-term asset cushion looks balanced relative to peers rather than stretched thin.

PKX

Materials industry group

1.98

Group distribution

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
PKX: 1.98
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Largest peers

SCCO: 4.31
AEM: 2.75
NEM: 2.45
PKX: 1.98
BHP: 1.89
RIO: 1.42
LIN: 0.86

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on current ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) has debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal leverage range. Its mix of debt and equity looks typical for the industry.

PKX

Materials industry group

0.50

Group distribution

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
PKX: 0.50
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

LIN: 0.65
SCCO: 0.63
BHP: 0.50
PKX: 0.50
RIO: 0.32
NEM: 0.16
AEM: 0.01

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on debt-to-equity ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Financial Strength Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.98	2.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.50	0.47
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.81	1.37

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) has dividend yield of 18,518.52%, above the entire industry range. That headline income is large, but yields this far above peers often come from a falling share price or an at-risk payout, so dividend safety matters more than the percentage itself.

PKX

Materials industry group

18,518.52%

Group distribution

PKX: 18,518.52%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

PKX: 18,518.52%
RIO: 5.59%
SCCO: 2.30%
BHP: 2.19%
LIN: 1.21%
AEM: 0.93%
NEM: 0.87%

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on dividend yield within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) has payout ratio of 51.60%, above the industry’s usual payout band. A larger share of earnings is going to dividends, so the cushion narrows if profit weakens.

PKX

Materials industry group

51.60%

Group distribution

Max: 83.62%
PKX: 51.60%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

BHP: 68.84%
RIO: 54.46%
SCCO: 52.43%
PKX: 51.60%
LIN: 41.83%
AEM: 14.26%
NEM: 11.95%

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on payout ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
Dividend Yield (TTM)	18,518.52%	0.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	51.60%	9.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) trades at P/E ratio of 15.57, near the industry’s usual earnings multiple. The stock is not showing a clear peer discount or premium on trailing earnings.

PKX

Materials industry group

15.57

Group distribution

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
PKX: 15.57
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Largest peers

LIN: 34.21
SCCO: 22.27
BHP: 20.70
AEM: 15.61
PKX: 15.57
NEM: 14.03
RIO: 11.35

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on P/E ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) trades at 0.00 on P/S ratio, in the lower sales-valuation quartile for its industry. That points to a cheaper revenue stream than most peers, with margin quality still doing the heavy lifting.

PKX

Materials industry group

0.00

Group distribution

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
PKX: 0.00
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

SCCO: 8.34
LIN: 6.53
AEM: 6.44
NEM: 4.72
BHP: 3.46
RIO: 2.20
PKX: 0.00

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on P/S ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) trades at 1.36 on P/B ratio, roughly in line with the industry’s normal price-to-book range. Its balance sheet is not being priced at a clear discount or premium versus peers.

PKX

Materials industry group

1.36

Group distribution

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
PKX: 1.36
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Largest peers

SCCO: 10.89
LIN: 6.00
BHP: 3.98
NEM: 3.53
AEM: 3.27
RIO: 2.08
PKX: 1.36

Where POSCO (PKX) stands on P/B ratio within its Materials peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Valuation Metrics

POSCO (PKX) metric values compared with Materials industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: PKX	Industry group median
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.57	18.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.00	1.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	2.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-23,410.34%	3.08%