U. S. Steel Delivers Strong First Quarter 2023; Best for All® Strategy On-Track

• First quarter 2023 net earnings of $199 million, or $0.78 per diluted share

• First quarter 2023 adjusted net earnings of $195 million, or $0.77 per diluted share

• First quarter 2023 adjusted EBITDA of $427 million

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) reported first quarter 2023 net earnings of $199 million, or $0.78 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings was $195 million, or $0.77 per diluted share and excludes stock-based compensation expense of $8 million, net of taxes, or $0.03 per diluted share that had previously been reported in the North American Flat-Rolled segment and other one-time items detailed in the reconciliation of adjusted net earnings table. The exclusion of stock-based compensation expense was not contemplated at the time of our March 16, 2023 guidance press release. This compares to first quarter 2022 net earnings of $882 million, or $3.02 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings for the first quarter 2022 was $910 million, or $3.11 per diluted share and excluded the impact of one-time items detailed in the reconciliation of adjusted net earnings table.

Commenting on the first quarter's performance, U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt said, “We delivered another strong quarter. Each of our operating segments exceeded expectations. We generated positive investable free cash flow of $25 million before supporting $582 million of high return strategic capital expenditures and continued direct returns in the quarter.”

Burritt continued, “Our focus on being the best partner for our customers through best operations has amplified the benefits of an improved market and more market share gains that we expect to continue through 2023. This momentum is expected to deliver even stronger second quarter results from higher steel prices."

Burritt concluded, “In spite of inflationary pressures, we are pleased to report our strategic projects are on-track to meet or improve upon key milestones each quarter and deliver returns well above our weighted average cost of capital. We’ve begun cold commissioning critical components of our new non-grain oriented electrical steel line at Big River Steel to produce the first coil as planned later this summer. Big River 2, our new mini mill with even more capabilities, and our new galvanize/GALVALUME^® line, remain on-track for 2024. Together, with our current Big River Steel footprint, we are creating the next generation of sustainable mini mill steelmaking in the U.S. and transforming our business model to generate more consistent cash flow to continue capability building and higher returns for our investors.”

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The Company will conduct a conference call on the first quarter earnings on Friday, April 28, 2023, 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 April 28, 2023.

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, stock-based compensation expense, VEBA asset surplus adjustment, 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 investable free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure of cash generated from operations, after any investing activity adjusted for strategic capital expenditures. We believe that free and investable 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, 2022 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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Arista Joyner
Manager
Corporate Communications
T - (412) 433-3994
E - AEjoyner@uss.com

Kevin Lewis
Vice President
Finance
T - (412) 433-6935
E - KLewis@uss.com

Source: United States Steel Corporation