Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

CLF has been the topic of several other research reports. Glj Research reduced their target price on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from $9.52 to $9.42 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in a report on Monday, October 27th. KeyCorp cut shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Cleveland-Cliffs from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $12.80 to $17.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.89.

Cleveland-Cliffs Trading Down 3.8%

NYSE:CLF opened at $10.36 on Friday. Cleveland-Cliffs has a 12-month low of $5.63 and a 12-month high of $16.70. The firm has a market cap of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of -3.55 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.25.

Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The mining company reported ($0.43) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.62) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.60 billion. Cleveland-Cliffs had a negative return on equity of 18.94% and a negative net margin of 7.91%.Cleveland-Cliffs’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.68) EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cleveland-Cliffs will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cleveland-Cliffs news, CEO Lourenco Goncalves sold 3,000,000 shares of the firm’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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Edilson Camara acquired 19,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $10.13 per share, for a total transaction of $199,561.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 41,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $425,287.79. This trade represents a 88.41% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cleveland-Cliffs

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 4,315.6% in the third quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 1,987 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,942 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Cleveland-Cliffs by 117.5% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,221 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Cleveland-Cliffs by 306.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,461 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Cleveland-Cliffs by 94.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,505 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. 67.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Cleveland-Cliffs News

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.

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.