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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Olympic Steel (ZEUS) - Get Report has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from Hold to Sell with a ratings score of D.  TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

TheStreet Ratings team rates OLYMPIC STEEL INC as a Sell with a ratings score of D. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

"We rate OLYMPIC STEEL INC (ZEUS) a SELL. This is driven by a number of negative factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity, poor profit margins, generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself and feeble growth in its earnings per share."

Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:

• The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Metals & Mining industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 1845.8% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from -$1.38 million to -$26.89 million.
• Current return on equity is lower than its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of weakness within the company. Compared to other companies in the Metals & Mining industry and the overall market on the basis of return on equity, OLYMPIC STEEL INC underperformed against that of the industry average and is significantly less than that of the S&P 500.
• The gross profit margin for OLYMPIC STEEL INC is rather low; currently it is at 17.86%. It has decreased from the same quarter the previous year. Along with this, the net profit margin of -8.23% is significantly below that of the industry average.
• Despite any intermediate fluctuations, we have only bad news to report on this stock's performance over the last year: it has tumbled by 46.36%, worse than the S&P 500's performance. Consistent with the plunge in the stock price, the company's earnings per share are down 1916.66% compared to the year-earlier quarter. Turning toward the future, the fact that the stock has come down in price over the past year should not necessarily be interpreted as a negative; it could be one of the factors that may help make the stock attractive down the road. Right now, however, we believe that it is too soon to buy.
• OLYMPIC STEEL INC has experienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. The company has reported a trend of declining earnings per share over the past two years. However, the consensus estimate suggests that this trend should reverse in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, OLYMPIC STEEL INC swung to a loss, reporting -$1.71 versus $0.70 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($0.99 versus -$1.71).
• You can view the full analysis from the report here: ZEUS Ratings Report