Shares of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF – Get Free Report) dropped 8.8% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $11.23 and last traded at $11.3840. Approximately 8,586,527 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 17,707,482 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.48.
Specifically, CEO Lourenco Goncalves sold 3,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total transaction of $37,260,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Cleveland-Cliffs from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Cleveland-Cliffs from $12.50 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.89.
Cleveland-Cliffs News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Cleveland-Cliffs this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Director purchase: Cleveland‑Cliffs director Edilson Camara bought 19,700 shares (~$10.13 avg), increasing his stake materially — a signal of insider confidence that can support the stock. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~53,775 CLF calls (≈6% above average call volume), indicating short‑term bullish positioning by some market participants. (Options volume report)
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and management tone: the company narrowly beat EPS estimates and gave a constructive 2026 outlook (cost discipline, steady capex, modest shipment growth), which remains a potential upside driver if volumes/pricing recover. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and analysis pieces: several writeups examine CLF’s post‑2025 loss valuation and whether the share drop is overdone — useful for investors assessing risk/reward but not immediate catalysts. Read More. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Tariff‑rollback reports: media reports that the administration is considering rolling back steel/aluminum tariffs hit domestic steel names (Nucor, CLF, Alcoa), pressuring prices and investor sentiment for Cleveland‑Cliffs. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale: CEO Lourenco Goncalves sold 3,000,000 shares (~$37.3M at ~$12.42), a significant block that likely added to downward pressure and investor concern about timing/intent. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst and sentiment pressure: GLJ Research and other commentators have issued bearish takes or cut targets after the earnings/revenue miss; combined with ambiguity on the POSCO partnership, that reduced near‑term catalysts and amplified selling. Read More. Read More.
Cleveland-Cliffs Trading Down 3.8%
The company has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of -3.55 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company’s fifty day moving average is $13.37 and its 200-day moving average is $12.25.
Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The mining company reported ($0.43) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.62) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.60 billion. Cleveland-Cliffs had a negative return on equity of 18.94% and a negative net margin of 7.91%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.68) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Trading of Cleveland-Cliffs
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CLF. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new position in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in the 1st quarter worth approximately $339,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cleveland-Cliffs in the second quarter worth $416,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cleveland-Cliffs in the second quarter worth $222,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 18.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 62,267 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 9,719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 188,904 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 4,088 shares during the last quarter. 67.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Cleveland-Cliffs
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc is a leading North American producer of iron ore pellets and flat-rolled steel products. Tracing its roots to 1847, the company has evolved from an iron-ore mining concern in the Great Lakes region into a fully integrated steelmaker. Today, Cleveland-Cliffs operates iron ore mining complexes in Michigan and Minnesota as well as steelmaking and finishing facilities across the United States.
The company’s integrated platform begins with direct control of key raw materials, including iron ore and scrap, and extends through every stage of steel production.
Recommended Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Cleveland-Cliffs
- ALERT: Drop these 5 stocks before January 2026!
- Think You Missed Silver? You’re Wrong. Here’s Why.
- Buy This Stock Now
- If You Keep Cash In A U.S. Bank Account… Read This NOW
- The Next Commodity Crunch (bigger than oil?)
Receive News & Ratings for Cleveland-Cliffs Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cleveland-Cliffs and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
