Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. Announces Proposed Offering of Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes

Rhea-AI Summary

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) has announced its intention to offer $1.6 billion in Senior Guaranteed Notes, split equally between notes due in 2029 and 2033. The offering is exempt from SEC registration requirements and the notes will be guaranteed by Cliffs' major domestic subsidiaries. The proceeds are intended to partially finance the cash consideration for the previously announced Stelco Holdings Inc. acquisition, expected to close in Q4 2024.

The offering is not contingent on the Stelco acquisition's completion. However, if the acquisition is not consummated by April 14, 2025 (extendable to July 14, 2025) or if Cliffs terminates the arrangement, the notes will be subject to a special mandatory redemption at 100% of the initial issue price plus accrued interest. The notes are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers and non-U.S. persons under specific exemptions.

Positive

• Raising $1.6 billion in senior notes to finance Stelco acquisition
• Acquisition of Stelco Holdings Inc. expected to close in Q4 2024
• Flexibility in note offering, not contingent on Stelco acquisition completion

Negative

• Increased debt burden with $1.6 billion in new senior notes
• Risk of mandatory redemption if Stelco acquisition fails
• Potential dilution of shareholder value due to large acquisition financing

Insights

Financial Analyst

Cleveland-Cliffs' proposed $1.6 billion senior notes offering is a significant move to finance the Stelco acquisition, demonstrating the company's commitment to growth in the steel industry. The $800 million each of 2029 and 2033 notes provide a balanced approach to long-term debt financing.

The special mandatory redemption clause is a prudent safeguard for investors, ensuring funds are returned if the acquisition falls through. This structure aligns with market best practices for acquisition financing.

Investors should note that while this debt issuance will increase Cleveland-Cliffs' leverage, it's strategically aligned with the company's expansion plans. The success of this offering could indicate market confidence in CLF's growth strategy and its ability to integrate Stelco effectively.

Legal Expert

The offering's structure as a private placement under Rule 144A and Regulation S is a common approach for expedited capital raising. This method allows Cleveland-Cliffs to access capital markets quickly without the time and expense of a registered public offering.

The inclusion of material subsidiaries as guarantors strengthens the notes' credit profile, potentially lowering borrowing costs. However, the "excluded subsidiaries" caveat warrants attention, as it could affect the overall strength of the guarantee structure.

The flexible End Date provision, allowing extension to July 14, 2025, provides Cleveland-Cliffs with additional time to close the Stelco deal, balancing the company's needs with investor protections. This legal framework demonstrates a thoughtful approach to managing acquisition-related uncertainties.

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (“Cliffs”) announced today that it intends to offer to sell, subject to market and other conditions, $800 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes”) and $800 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2033 (the “2033 Notes” and, together with the 2029 Notes, the “Notes”) in an offering that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”). The Notes will be guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by Cliffs’ material direct and indirect wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries, other than certain excluded subsidiaries.

Cliffs intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes to finance a portion of the cash consideration payable in connection with the previously announced acquisition of Stelco Holdings Inc. (the “Stelco Acquisition”), which Cliffs expects to complete in the fourth quarter of 2024 following the satisfaction or waiver of applicable conditions. This offering is not conditioned upon the completion of the Stelco Acquisition. However, in the event that (i) the Stelco Acquisition is not consummated on or prior to April 14, 2025 (the “End Date”), provided however that the End Date may be extended to a date no later than July 14, 2025, which such date shall thereafter be deemed to be the End Date, or (ii) Cliffs notifies U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, which is serving as trustee for the Notes, in writing of the termination of the arrangement agreement or its determination that the Stelco Acquisition will not be consummated by the End Date, the Notes will be subject to a special mandatory redemption at a price equal to 100% of the initial issue price of the applicable Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest from the issue date to, but excluding, the date of such special mandatory redemption.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. The Notes and related guarantees are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes and the related guarantees have not been registered under the Securities Act, or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration or an applicable exemption from the Securities Act and applicable state securities or blue sky laws and foreign securities laws.

About Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Cleveland-Cliffs is a leading North America-based steel producer with focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automotive industry. The Company is vertically integrated from the mining of iron ore pellets, production of direct reduced iron, and processing of ferrous scrap through primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs employs approximately 28,000 people across its operations in the United States and Canada.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than historical facts, including, without limitation, statements regarding our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry or our businesses, are forward-looking statements. We caution investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Among the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements are the following: continued volatility of steel, iron ore and scrap metal market prices, which directly and indirectly impact the prices of the products that we sell to our customers; uncertainties associated with the highly competitive and cyclical steel industry and our reliance on the demand for steel from the automotive industry; potential weaknesses and uncertainties in global economic conditions, excess global steelmaking capacity, oversupply of iron ore, prevalence of steel imports and reduced market demand; severe financial hardship, bankruptcy, temporary or permanent shutdowns or operational challenges of one or more of our major customers, key suppliers or contractors, which, among other adverse effects, could disrupt our operations or lead to reduced demand for our products, increased difficulty collecting receivables, and customers and/or suppliers asserting force majeure or other reasons for not performing their contractual obligations to us; risks related to U.S. government actions with respect to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (as amended by the Trade Act of 1974), the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and/or other trade agreements, tariffs, treaties or policies, as well as the uncertainty of obtaining and maintaining effective antidumping and countervailing duty orders to counteract the harmful effects of unfairly traded imports; impacts of existing and increasing governmental regulation, including potential environmental regulations relating to climate change and carbon emissions, and related costs and liabilities, including failure to receive or maintain required operating and environmental permits, approvals, modifications or other authorizations of, or from, any governmental or regulatory authority and costs related to implementing improvements to ensure compliance with regulatory changes, including potential financial assurance requirements, and reclamation and remediation obligations; potential impacts to the environment or exposure to hazardous substances resulting from our operations; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity, our level of indebtedness and the availability of capital could limit our financial flexibility and cash flow necessary to fund working capital, planned capital expenditures, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes or ongoing needs of our business, or to repurchase our common shares; our ability to reduce our indebtedness or return capital to shareholders within the currently expected timeframes or at all; adverse changes in credit ratings, interest rates, foreign currency rates and tax laws; the outcome of, and costs incurred in connection with, lawsuits, claims, arbitrations or governmental proceedings relating to commercial and business disputes, antitrust claims, environmental matters, government investigations, occupational or personal injury claims, property-related matters, labor and employment matters, or suits involving legacy operations and other matters; supply chain disruptions or changes in the cost, quality or availability of energy sources, including electricity, natural gas and diesel fuel, critical raw materials and supplies, including iron ore, industrial gases, graphite electrodes, scrap metal, chrome, zinc, other alloys, coke and metallurgical coal, and critical manufacturing equipment and spare parts; problems or disruptions associated with transporting products to our customers, moving manufacturing inputs or products internally among our facilities, or suppliers transporting raw materials to us; the risk that the cost or time to implement a strategic or sustaining capital project may prove to be greater than originally anticipated; our ability to consummate any public or private acquisition transactions and to realize any or all of the anticipated benefits or estimated future synergies, as well as to successfully integrate any acquired businesses into our existing businesses; uncertainties associated with natural or human-caused disasters, adverse weather conditions, unanticipated geological conditions, critical equipment failures, infectious disease outbreaks, tailings dam failures and other unexpected events; cybersecurity incidents relating to, disruptions in, or failures of, information technology systems that are managed by us or third parties that host or have access to our data or systems, including the loss, theft or corruption of sensitive or essential business or personal information and the inability to access or control systems; liabilities and costs arising in connection with any business decisions to temporarily or indefinitely idle or permanently close an operating facility or mine, which could adversely impact the carrying value of associated assets and give rise to impairment charges or closure and reclamation obligations, as well as uncertainties associated with restarting any previously idled operating facility or mine; our level of self-insurance and our ability to obtain sufficient third-party insurance to adequately cover potential adverse events and business risks; uncertainties associated with our ability to meet customers' and suppliers' decarbonization goals and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with our own announced targets; challenges to maintaining our social license to operate with our stakeholders, including the impacts of our operations on local communities, reputational impacts of operating in a carbon-intensive industry that produces greenhouse gas emissions, and our ability to foster a consistent operational and safety track record; our actual economic mineral reserves or reductions in current mineral reserve estimates, and any title defect or loss of any lease, license, easement or other possessory interest for any mining property; our ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations with unions and employees; unanticipated or higher costs associated with pension and other post-employment benefit obligations resulting from changes in the value of plan assets or contribution increases required for unfunded obligations; uncertain availability or cost of skilled workers to fill critical operational positions and potential labor shortages caused by experienced employee attrition or otherwise, as well as our ability to attract, hire, develop and retain key personnel; the amount and timing of any repurchases of our common shares; potential significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting; the risk that the Stelco Acquisition may not be consummated and if consummated, our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Stelco Acquisition. For additional factors affecting the business of Cliffs, refer to Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2024 and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241008579012/en/

MEDIA CONTACT:

Patricia Persico

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

(216) 694-5316



INVESTOR CONTACT:

James Kerr

Director, Investor Relations

(216) 694-7719

Source: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

FAQ

What is the purpose of Cleveland-Cliffs' (CLF) $1.6 billion senior notes offering?

Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) is offering $1.6 billion in senior notes to finance a portion of the cash consideration for its previously announced acquisition of Stelco Holdings Inc., expected to close in Q4 2024.

When are the Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) senior notes due?

Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) is offering $800 million in Senior Guaranteed Notes due in 2029 and another $800 million due in 2033.

What happens if Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) doesn't complete the Stelco acquisition?

If Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) doesn't complete the Stelco acquisition by April 14, 2025 (extendable to July 14, 2025) or terminates the arrangement, the notes will be subject to a special mandatory redemption at 100% of the initial issue price plus accrued interest.

Who can purchase the Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) senior notes?

The Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) senior notes are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers and non-U.S. persons under specific exemptions from SEC registration requirements.