POSCO Holdings Inc. (005490.KS) stock analysis

In our weekly check, POSCO Holdings Inc. is graded D (A to F). Of 25 checks on debt, profit, cash flow and trend: 8 pass, warnings: 7, red flags: 10.

About POSCO Holdings Inc.

POSCO Holdings Inc. is a Basic Materials company (Steel) based in South Korea, listed on KSC as 005490.KS.

What our checks show for 005490.KS

Red flags

• Operating profit covers interest only 1.9 times: a weak year could make the payments hard.
• The net margin fell by 6.8 points over 5 years, to 1.9%: the company keeps less of each sale as profit.
• The gross margin fell by 7.6 points, to 8%: costs are rising faster than prices.
• Revenue fell 5.7% a year over the last 3 years.
• The net margin is only 1.9%: little room if costs rise.
• Free cash flow is negative (-3% of revenue): the business spends more cash than it brings in.
• The price swings a lot: 52.3% annual volatility. Expect large ups and downs.
• The stock has fallen as much as 82% from a peak. Would you have held through that?
• Return on capital (ROCE) is only 2.6%.
• Pay in shares equals 0% of free cash flow: it dilutes shareholders.

Warning signs

• Net debt is 3.9x a year of EBITDA (debt/equity 0.55). That limits room in a downturn and raises refinancing risk.
• Analysts expect only about 4.6% a year of growth in revenue.
• Earnings per share fell 24.5% a year over the last 3 years.
• Net profit fell 24.7% a year over the last 3 years.
• The stock is still below its previous peak.
• Beta 1.57: the stock usually moves more than the market, both up and down.
• Thinly traded (about 259 thousand shares a day): buying and selling can move the price.

Strengths

• Operating cash flow is 2.11x net profit: the profit arrives as real cash.
• Analysts expect earnings per share to grow about 34.9% a year over the next years.
• A large company: market value $15.73 billion.

Next earnings report: 2026-11-02

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Questions

What grade does POSCO Holdings Inc. (005490.KS) have?

In our weekly check, POSCO Holdings Inc. is graded D (A to F). Of 25 checks on debt, profit, cash flow and trend: 8 pass, warnings: 7, red flags: 10. The grade is a risk check, not a buy or sell recommendation.

What are the main risks of 005490.KS stock?

This week's biggest flags for POSCO Holdings Inc.: Weak interest cover, Margins falling, Gross margin falling. In total 17 of 25 checks show a warning or a red flag.

What does POSCO Holdings Inc. do?

POSCO Holdings Inc. is a Basic Materials company (Steel) based in South Korea, listed on KSC as 005490.KS.

When does POSCO Holdings Inc. report earnings next?

The next earnings report is expected on 2026-11-02. We re-run the checks every week, so the grade can change after it.

The grade is a risk check, not a price forecast, and not investment advice. In our 10-year test (S&P 500, 2016-2026), stocks we graded A or B fell more than 30% 2-3 times less often than D or F, without a lower average return.

Updated 2026-10-24

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