United States Steel Corporation Reports Record Second Quarter 2022 Results

Announcing a new $500 million stock buyback authorization

• Second quarter net earnings of $978 million. Reported net earnings per diluted share of $3.42

• Record second quarter adjusted net earnings of $1,104 million. Adjusted net earnings per diluted share of $3.86

• Record second quarter adjusted EBITDA of $1,620 million

United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) reported second quarter 2022 net earnings of $978 million, or $3.42 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings was $1,104 million, or $3.86 per diluted share. This compares to second quarter 2021 net earnings of $1,012 million, or $3.53 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings for the second quarter 2021 was $1,050 million, or $3.67 per diluted share.

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United States Steel Corporation Reports Record Second Quarter 2022 Results (Graphic: Business Wire)

“Our record-best second quarter was driven by strong performance across our diverse operating segments,” commented U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt. “As we continue to demonstrate the execution of our strategy, it is timely to reflect upon just how much progress we’ve made over the past twelve months, exhibiting continued record safety performance, generating nearly $6.7 billion of adjusted EBITDA and over $4 billion of free cash flow, building over $3 billion of cash, and returning nearly $850 million to stockholders, including July's buyback activity.”

Burritt continued, “The bold decisions we have made to invest in our competitive advantages make us a stronger business that creates enduring value for our stockholders through the cycle. The well-timed acquisition of Big River Steel created a best-in-class sustainable Mini Mill segment representing nearly 30% of U. S. Steel’s domestic flat-rolled steel EBITDA over the past twelve months. We invested in state-of-the-art electric arc furnace steelmaking through challenging energy dynamics and our Tubular segment is now profitably serving the resurging oil and gas markets. Our revitalized integrated operations are benefiting from our diverse end-market exposure and value-focused commercial strategy that leverages our deep customer relationships and lowest-cost iron ore capabilities to produce profitable steel solutions. In Europe, our Slovakian operations are navigating challenging conditions and continuing to implement resiliency plans and cost mitigation actions in the event of continued economic slowdown in the region.”

Commenting on the Company’s outlook, Burritt concluded, “We are bullish on U. S. Steel’s future and confident in our ability to execute our Best for All^® strategy. While some consumer-oriented markets like automotive and appliance are softer, line pipe and energy demand is accelerating. We have demonstrated a commitment to achieving and maintaining a strong balance sheet, a supportive debt maturity profile, and a balanced approach to capital allocation. We’ve completed our $800 million stock buyback authorization and are pleased to announce a new $500 million stock buyback authorization today. We are a ‘show me’ story, which gives us the opportunity to continue to consider our stock as an attractive investment. Through passion and perseverance, we look forward to demonstrating the power of our strategy and the improvement in the value of our company.”

Capital Allocation Update:

During the second quarter 2022, the Company repurchased $400 million of its common stock. Third quarter 2022 to date, the Company has repurchased $127 million, exhausting the remaining portion of the $500 million share repurchase program announced in January 2022. The Board of Directors has authorized a new $500 million share repurchase program to commence in the third quarter 2022 under which the Company’s outstanding common stock may be repurchased from time to time at the discretion of management.

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The Company will conduct a conference call on the second quarter 2022 earnings on Friday, July 29, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. To listen to the webcast of the conference call and to access the Company's slide presentation, visit the U. S. Steel website, www.ussteel.com, and click on the “Investors” section. Replay will be available on the website after 10:30 a.m. on July 29, 2022.

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, gains on asset sold and previously held investments, debt extinguishment, tax impact of adjusted items, gain on sale of Transtar 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, financial performance, the construction or operation of new and existing facilities, the timing, size and form of share repurchase transactions, operating 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 global supply and demand conditions and 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 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, and references to “Big River Steel” refer to Big River Steel Holdings LLC and its direct and indirect subsidiaries unless otherwise indicated by the 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.

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