WS Stock Target Raised by Analysts: $47.94 Represents 14.63% Upgrade

Worthington Steel has caught the attention of Wall Street analysts who just revised their average one-year price target to $47.94 per share, marking a significant 14.63% increase from the prior estimate of $41.82 set in January 2026. This upgraded consensus target reflects growing confidence in WS among the investment community, suggesting substantial upside from the most recent closing price of $44.41 per share—approximately 7.95% higher than current levels.

The revised target range spans from $47.47 to $49.35 per share, representing a fairly tight consensus with relatively minor variance between the most bullish and conservative projections. This narrow band indicates that analysts are aligned in their outlook for Worthington Steel’s near-term performance and potential.

Analyst Consensus Lifts WS Price Target

The price target increase represents an evolution in analyst sentiment toward WS. With multiple Wall Street firms adjusting their estimates upward simultaneously, this collective movement suggests growing recognition of improving fundamentals or near-term catalysts for the steel company. The current target range demonstrates that even conservative estimates maintain meaningful upside potential from recent trading levels.

Institutional Investors Signal Bullish Stance on WS

The fund landscape surrounding WS reveals interesting dynamics that align with analyst optimism. Currently, 418 funds and institutions maintain reported positions in Worthington Steel, though this represents a modest quarterly decline of 46 owners. However, the aggregate institutional footprint expanded notably, with total shares owned increasing by 2.20% to reach 34.22 million shares in recent months.

The put/call ratio for WS stands at 0.09, a notably low figure that strongly indicates a bullish market outlook. This suggests that options traders and sophisticated investors are positioning for upward movement rather than downside protection. Additionally, the average portfolio weight dedicated to WS across all institutional holders reached 0.08%, reflecting an increase of 9.03%, demonstrating that institutions are not only maintaining but actively increasing their commitment to the stock.

Major ETF Funds Adjust WS Positions

Within the broader institutional framework, several prominent ETF funds and investment managers have made notable adjustments to their WS holdings:

iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) maintains the largest tracked position with 2.09 million shares representing 4.11% ownership. While IJR reported a minor 3.74% quarterly reduction in absolute shares, the fund nonetheless increased its overall portfolio allocation toward WS by 12.55%, suggesting a strategic rebalancing favoring the position.

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX) holds 1.23 million shares representing 2.42% ownership, with holdings climbing 3.36% during the recent quarter. The fund boosted its WS allocation by 8.73%, indicating continued confidence in the position.

Alliancebernstein demonstrated particularly aggressive positioning, expanding holdings from 122K to 970K shares—an 87.43% quarterly surge. The firm increased its WS portfolio allocation by an extraordinary 682.56%, representing one of the most dramatic repositioning moves among major shareholders.

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund (NAESX) carries 930K shares representing 1.83% ownership, with a modest 2.01% quarterly decline in absolute shares despite an 8.10% increase in portfolio allocation weighting.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) maintains 823K shares representing 1.62% ownership, with a 5.89% quarterly share reduction offset by a 12.28% increase in portfolio allocation percentage.

The coordinated movement among these institutional players—particularly the significant allocation increases despite some mixed share count movements—paints a picture of growing institutional appetite for WS stock, reinforcing the analyst community’s optimistic reassessment.