U.S. Steel reports solid 4th quarter, second-best earnings in 2022

PITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE)– United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) reported fourth quarter 2022 net earnings of $174 million, or $0.68 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings was $226 million, or $0.87 per diluted share and excluded the impact of a one-time signing bonus related to the United Steelworkers labor agreement and other one-time items detailed in the reconciliation of adjusted net earnings table. This compares to fourth quarter 2021 net earnings of $1.07 billion, or $3.75 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings for the fourth quarter 2021 was $1.43 billion, or $5.01 per diluted share.

Commenting on the Company’s performance, U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt said, “2022 was another exceptional year for U. S. Steel, marking our second-best financial performance in the Company’s history. Our fourth quarter results exceeded our guidance expectations thanks to the combined efforts of our domestic steelmaking operations and Tubular segment. This includes positive EBITDA in December at our Mini Mill segment, reflecting improving momentum through year-end while continuing to work through higher priced raw materials purchased earlier in 2022. Each of our operating segments contributed meaningfully to 2022’s success, while delivering record safety performance and strong operational excellence, quality, and reliability for our customers.”

Burritt continued, “We are well-positioned for 2023. Our record cash and liquidity support a balanced capital allocation approach. We returned approximately $900 million to stockholders in 2022 and plan to continue rewarding stockholders in 2023 while investing in the business. We are already delivering on strategic commitments, including the Gary Works pig iron machine that was commissioned ahead of schedule and on-budget. Later this year, our non-grain oriented electrical steel line at Big River Steel will begin producing advanced steel grades to meet the growing electric vehicle demand. 2023 is a pivotal year in our strategy and we look forward to demonstrating continued progress towards our Best for All future.”

We present adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per diluted share, earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP measures, as additional measurements to enhance the understanding of our operating performance. We believe that EBITDA, considered along with net earnings, is a relevant indicator of trends relating to our operating performance and provides management and investors with additional information for comparison of our operating results to the operating results of other companies.

Adjusted net earnings and adjusted net earnings per diluted share are non-GAAP measures that exclude the effects of items that include: restructuring and other charges, asset impairment charges, United Steelworkers labor agreement signing bonus and related costs, (gains) losses on asset sold and previously held investments, gain on sale of Transtar, environmental remediation charges, debt extinguishment, pension de-risking, tax impact of adjusted items, and other charges, net (Adjustment Items). Adjusted EBITDA is also a non-GAAP measure that excludes the effects of certain Adjustment Items. We present adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA to enhance the understanding of our ongoing operating performance and established trends affecting our core operations by excluding the effects of events that can obscure underlying trends. U. S. Steel’s management considers adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA as alternative measures of operating performance and not alternative measures of the Company’s liquidity. U. S. Steel’s management considers adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA useful to investors by facilitating a comparison of our operating performance to the operating performance of our competitors. Additionally, the presentation of adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA provides insight into management’s view and assessment of the Company’s ongoing operating performance because management does not consider the Adjustment Items when evaluating the Company’s financial performance. Adjusted net earnings, adjusted net earnings per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for net earnings, earnings per diluted share or other financial measures as computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP and is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

We also present free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure of cash generated from operations, after any investing activity and dividends paid to stockholders. We believe that free cash flow provides further insight into the Company’s overall utilization of cash. A condensed consolidated statement of operations (unaudited), condensed consolidated cash flow statement (unaudited), condensed consolidated balance sheet (unaudited) and preliminary supplemental statistics (unaudited) for U. S. Steel are attached.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains information that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We intend the forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements in those sections. Generally, we have identified such forward-looking statements by using the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “target,” “forecast,” “aim,” “should,” “plan,” “goal,” “future,” “will,” “may,” and similar expressions or by using future dates in connection with any discussion of, among other things, the construction or operation of new or existing facilities or operating capabilities, the timing, size and form of share repurchase transactions, operating or financial performance, trends, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future, statements relating to volume changes, share of sales and earnings per share changes, anticipated cost savings, potential capital and operational cash improvements, changes in the global economic environment, including supply and demand conditions, inflation, interest rates, supply chain disruptions and changes in prices for our products, international trade duties and other aspects of international trade policy, statements regarding our future strategies, products and innovations, statements regarding our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, statements regarding existing or new regulations and statements expressing general views about future operating results. However, the absence of these words or similar expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company’s beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company’s control. It is possible that the Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the time made. However, caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements because such statements speak only as of the date when made. Our Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our Company’s historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and those described from time to time in our future reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

References to “U. S. Steel,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to United States Steel Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, references to “Big River Steel” refer to Big River Steel Holdings LLC and its direct and indirect subsidiaries unless otherwise indicated by the context and references to “Transtar” refer to Transtar LLC and its direct and indirect subsidiaries unless otherwise indicated by context.

Founded in 1901, United States Steel Corporation is a leading steel producer. With an unwavering focus on safety, the Company’s customer-centric Best for All^® strategy is advancing a more secure, sustainable future for U. S. Steel and its stakeholders. With a renewed emphasis on innovation, U. S. Steel serves the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, containers, and packaging industries with high value-added steel products such as U. S. Steel’s proprietary XG3^® advanced high-strength steel. The Company also maintains competitively advantaged iron ore production and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 22.4 million net tons. U. S. Steel is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with world-class operations across the United States and in Central Europe. For more information, please visit www.ussteel.com.

Source: United States Steel Corporation