On trailing earnings, AA is cheaper: AA trades at a 17.24 P/E and X at 189.10.

Which has grown faster, AA or X?

Over the past five years, AA grew revenue faster — AA at a 5.08% CAGR versus X at 4.51%.

Does AA or X pay a bigger dividend?

AA yields 0.58% and X yields 0.36% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is AA or X more profitable?

AA runs the higher net margin — AA at 8.17% versus X at 0.64%.

Which has been the better investment, AA or X?

Over the past 10-year, AA delivered the higher annualized total return — AA at 13.03% versus X at 9.88%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Alcoa Corporation (AA) vs United States Steel Corporation (X)

AA leads on 9 of 14 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Alcoa Corporation and United States Steel Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Alcoa Corporation

$18.15B

$68.77Basic Materials

United States Steel Corporation

$12.42B

$54.84Basic Materials

Total return — AA vs X

growth of $100 · last 29y

AA -15.1%X +81.3%X compounded faster

AA X

AA vs X: by the numbers

•AA is the larger company ($18.15B vs $12.42B market cap).
•AA trades at the lower earnings multiple (17.24 vs 189.10 P/E).
•AA converts more revenue to profit (8.17% vs 0.64% net margin).
•AA grew revenue faster over the past five years (5.08% vs 4.51% CAGR).
•AA pays the higher dividend yield (0.58% vs 0.36%).

Which is better, AA or X?

Metric tally: AA 9 · X 5

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueAA(lower P/E)

GrowthAA(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeAA(higher dividend yield)

QualityAA(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	AA	X
P/E ratio	17.24●	189.10
Forward P/E	8.77	—
P/S ratio	1.44	0.81●
P/B ratio	2.68	0.77●
PEG ratio	0.01	—
EV / EBITDA	11.56	10.84●
FCF yield	1.57%	—

Profitability

Metric	AA	X
Gross margin	15.20%●	7.57%
Operating margin	3.82%●	-2.36%
Net margin	8.17%●	0.64%
ROE	15.15%●	0.61%
ROIC	6.12%●	1.24%

Dividends

Metric	AA	X
Dividend yield	0.58%●	0.36%
Payout ratio	8.95%	11.70%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	AA	X
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	5.08%●	4.51%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	20.38%●	-19.55%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	13.41%	24.58%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.06%	47.40%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, AA or X?: It depends on your goal. value: AA (lower P/E); growth: AA (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: AA (higher dividend yield); quality: AA (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, AA leads 9 to 5.
Is AA or X cheaper?: On trailing earnings, AA is cheaper: AA trades at a 17.24 P/E and X at 189.10.
Which has grown faster, AA or X?: Over the past five years, AA grew revenue faster — AA at a 5.08% CAGR versus X at 4.51%.
Does AA or X pay a bigger dividend?: AA yields 0.58% and X yields 0.36% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is AA or X more profitable?: AA runs the higher net margin — AA at 8.17% versus X at 0.64%.
Which has been the better investment, AA or X?: Over the past 10-year, AA delivered the higher annualized total return — AA at 13.03% versus X at 9.88%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full AA analysis Full X analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Alcoa P/E ratio United States Steel P/E ratio Alcoa dividend yield United States Steel dividend yield Alcoa ROE United States Steel ROE Alcoa operating margin United States Steel operating margin Alcoa revenue growth United States Steel revenue growth Alcoa free cash flow United States Steel free cash flow

Alcoa & United States Steel appear in these rankings

Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 13, 2026.