Zacks Research Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF)

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Cleveland-Cliffs in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 6th. Zacks Research analyst A. Barman now forecasts that the mining company will earn $0.58 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.60. The consensus estimate for Cleveland-Cliffs’ current full-year earnings is $1.22 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Cleveland-Cliffs’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.69 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $2.20 EPS.

Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The mining company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.01). Cleveland-Cliffs had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The firm had revenue of $5.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.11) EPS. Cleveland-Cliffs’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis.

CLF has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Citigroup cut Cleveland-Cliffs from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $22.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. TheStreet lowered shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.42.

Cleveland-Cliffs Price Performance

Shares of CLF opened at $17.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of 23.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 2.10. Cleveland-Cliffs has a 52-week low of $13.61 and a 52-week high of $22.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.90. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $20.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.16.

Cleveland-Cliffs announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, April 22nd that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the mining company to repurchase up to 17.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cleveland-Cliffs news, Director Ron A. Bloom purchased 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.00 per share, for a total transaction of $425,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 59,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,018,300. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Ron A. Bloom acquired 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.00 per share, with a total value of $425,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 59,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,018,300. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lourenco Goncalves sold 187,136 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.19, for a total transaction of $3,778,275.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,699,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,494,606.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 87,000 shares of company stock worth $1,470,640 and have sold 221,066 shares worth $4,464,688. 1.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Cleveland-Cliffs by 1.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,053 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Cleveland-Cliffs by 41.7% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its stake in Cleveland-Cliffs by 2.3% in the third quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 27,337 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Cleveland-Cliffs by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 216,359 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $4,249,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 50.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,850 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.68% of the company’s stock.

About Cleveland-Cliffs

Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel company and the largest iron ore pellet producer in North America. The company is vertically integrated from mining through iron making, steelmaking, rolling, finishing and downstream with hot and cold stamping of steel parts and components. The company was formerly known as Cliffs Natural Resources Inc and changed its name to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc in August 2017.