Steel Dynamics (STLD 0.61%) kicked things off today with its conference call to provide more details on its last calendar year. Unlike two of its peers, Steel Dynamics turned a profit in 2012 and remains optimistic regarding its position heading into 2013. Nucor (NUE 0.31%), Motley Fool analyst Taylor Muckerman's favorite pick of these four, saw its earnings plummet 51% year over year, but had positive things to say about lower energy costs due to the use of natural gas and higher shipped tonnage than in 2011. How did the other competitors stack up? Watch the video below to find out.