Steel Dynamics Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

Rhea-AI Summary

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) reported strong first quarter 2024 results with steel shipments of 3.3 million tons, net sales of $4.7 billion, operating income of $751 million, and net income of $584 million. The company's liquidity stands at $3.1 billion with a cash flow from operations of $355 million. Despite some challenges in steel order volatility, the company's performance was solid, driven by strong demand in automotive, non-residential construction, energy, and industrial sectors.

Positive

• Steel shipments of 3.3 million tons in first quarter 2024
• Net sales of $4.7 billion and operating income of $751 million
• Net income of $584 million and adjusted EBITDA of $879 million
• Cash flow from operations of $355 million with strong liquidity of $3.1 billion
• Share repurchases of $298 million and an 8% increase in cash dividend for first quarter 2024
• Operating income from steel operations increased to $675 million due to solid demand
• Average external product selling price increased to $1,201 per ton
• Operating income from metals recycling operations increased to $23 million
• Steel fabrication operations achieved historically strong operating income of $178 million
• Company generated cash flow from operations of $355 million despite funding profit-sharing contribution

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

Steel Dynamics demonstrated robust financial health in Q1 2024, with a notable increase in net income and operating income compared to the previous quarter. This reflects not only an efficient operational performance but also a strategic capital allocation, seen through significant stock buybacks and a dividend increase. Given the cyclical nature of the steel industry, these results suggest Steel Dynamics is effectively navigating market fluctuations and capitalizing on demand trends in key sectors such as automotive and construction. Investors might find the company’s strong liquidity position and the dedication to shareholder return strategies as indicators of a potentially resilient investment, especially considering the continued onshoring of manufacturing and the U.S. infrastructure program that could fuel long-term demand for steel products.

Market Research Analyst

The current and forecasted demand in the automotive, non-residential construction, industrial and energy sectors underlines a healthy outlook for the steel industry. The fact that Steel Dynamics' operating income from steel fabrication remains historically strong, despite a seasonal downturn, is a testament to the underlying resilience of these sectors. Furthermore, the company's acknowledgment of the U.S. Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act as potential catalysts for domestic steel consumption adds an anticipatory angle, suggesting that infrastructure development projects might significantly boost steel demand. Investors should monitor how the onshoring trend and public funding could translate into sustained order backlogs, potentially providing long-term support for Steel Dynamics' revenue streams.

FORT WAYNE, Ind., April 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

First Quarter 2024 Performance Highlights:

• Steel shipments of 3.3 million tons
• Net sales of $4.7 billion, operating income of $751 million, net income of $584 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $879 million
• Cash flow from operations of $355 million, which was reduced by the annual companywide profit-sharing contribution of $265 million in the quarter
• Strong liquidity of $3.1 billion as of March 31, 2024
• Share repurchases of $298 million of the company's common stock, representing 1.5 percent of its outstanding shares
• First quarter 2024 cash dividend increase of 8 percent

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ/GS: STLD) today announced first quarter 2024 financial results. The company reported first quarter 2024 net sales of $4.7 billion and net income of $584 million, or $3.67 per diluted share. Comparatively, the company's sequential fourth quarter 2023 net income was $424 million, or $2.61 per diluted share and prior year first quarter net income was $637 million, or $3.70 per diluted share.

"The teams executed well delivering a solid first quarter performance," said Mark D. Millett, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Underlying steel demand was steady in the quarter; however, we experienced some steel order volatility early in the quarter as customer inventories remain incredibly low and scrap prices declined month over month in the quarter. Customer orders rebounded strongly in March supporting increased pricing and solid order backlogs, especially within our value-added coated flat rolled steel products portfolio.   

"The teams achieved strong first quarter 2024 operating income of $751 million and adjusted EBITDA of $879 million," continued Millett. "The sequential improvement in earnings was driven by our steel and metals recycling businesses and supported by continued historically strong results from our steel fabrication operations. Across the company, our teams achieved strong performance, while keeping each other safe."  

First Quarter 2024 Comments

First quarter 2024 operating income for the company's steel operations was $675 million, or 85 percent higher than sequential fourth quarter results, due to solid demand resulting in near-record first quarter steel shipments of 3.3 million tons and higher realized selling values. The automotive, non-residential construction, energy, and industrial sectors lead demand. Flat rolled steel pricing has rebounded from recent lows and steel producer lead times have extended since the end of the first quarter. The first quarter 2024 average external product selling price for the company's steel operations increased $111 sequentially to $1,201 per ton. The average ferrous scrap cost per ton melted at the company's steel mills increased $24 sequentially to $417 per ton.

Compared to the sequential fourth quarter, first quarter 2024 operating income from the company's metals recycling operations increased to $23 million, based on increased demand supporting higher volume and metal spread expansion. Domestic steel production utilization increased from 74 percent in the sequential fourth quarter to 77 percent in the first quarter 2024. The team did an excellent job executing in a falling price environment since December 2023 before prices stabilized in April.   

The company's steel fabrication operations achieved historically strong operating income of $178 million in the first quarter 2024, but below sequential fourth quarter results, based on seasonally lower shipments coupled with a decline in metal spread as realized pricing declined and steel raw material input costs increased in the quarter. The steel fabrication order backlog extends through the third quarter 2024, at pricing levels well above pre-Covid levels. In addition, the continued onshoring of manufacturing, coupled with the robust U.S. infrastructure program and industrial build-outs, supports strong demand for 2024 and beyond.

Based on the company's differentiated business model and highly variable cost structure, the company generated cash flow from operations of $355 million during the quarter, even after funding the companywide profit-sharing contribution of $265 million. The company also invested $374 million in capital investments, paid cash dividends of $68 million, and repurchased $298 million of its outstanding common stock, representing 1.5 percent of its outstanding shares, while maintaining strong liquidity of $3.1 billion as of March 31, 2024.

Outlook   

"We remain confident that market conditions are in place for domestic steel consumption to be strong throughout 2024," said Millett. "Order entry activity continues to be solid across all of our businesses and steel pricing has firmed. We believe North American steel consumption will increase in 2024, and that demand for lower-carbon emission, U.S. produced steel products coupled with lower imports will support steel pricing. We believe the automotive, non-residential construction, industrial, and energy sectors will remain solid this year. The continued onshoring of manufacturing businesses, combined with the expectation of significant fixed asset investment to be derived from public funding related to the U.S. Infrastructure, Inflation Reduction Act, and Department of Energy programs, will competitively position the domestic steel industry. We believe this will benefit all of our operating platforms, especially our steel and steel fabrication businesses.

"We have successfully started commissioning and operating our four new value-added flat rolled steel coating lines. The teams have produced prime quality galvanized and painted products on the first two lines in record times. We expect to begin benefitting from the additional 1.1 million tons of value-added steel products beginning in the second quarter of this year and fully in 2025.

"We are also quickly progressing on our aluminum flat rolled products mill and are incredibly excited about this meaningful growth opportunity, which is aligned with our existing business and operational expertise," said Millett. "We plan to begin operating the aluminum flat rolled mill mid-2025. We have intentionally grown with our customers' needs, providing efficient sustainable supply-chain solutions for the highest quality products. Thus far, this has primarily been achieved within the steel industry – however, a significant number of our flat rolled steel customers are also consumers and processors of aluminum flat rolled products. We are pleased to further diversify our end markets with plans to supply aluminum flat rolled products with high recycled content to the countercyclical sustainable beverage can and packaging industry, in addition to the automotive, industrial, and construction sectors. We believe our unique performance-based operating culture, coupled with our considerable experience in successfully constructing and operating cost-effective, highly profitable flat rolled steel mills, positions us exceptionally well to execute this strategic opportunity and to deliver strong long-term value creation. Our customers and our people are also incredibly excited for this growth opportunity.

"Our commitment is to the health and safety of our teams, families, and communities, while meeting the current and future needs of our customers. Our culture and business model continue to positively differentiate our performance from the rest of the industry. We are competitively positioned and focused to generate long-term sustainable value," concluded Millett.

Conference Call and Webcast

Steel Dynamics, Inc. will hold a conference call to discuss first quarter 2024 operating and financial results on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. You may access the call and find dial-in information on the Investors section of the company's website at www.steeldynamics.com.  A replay of the call will be available on our website until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 1, 2024.

About Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Steel Dynamics is one of the largest domestic steel producers and metals recyclers in North America, based on estimated annual steelmaking and metals recycling capability, with facilities located throughout the United States, and in Mexico. Steel Dynamics produces steel products, including hot roll, cold roll, and coated sheet steel, structural steel beams and shapes, rail, engineered special-bar-quality steel, cold finished steel, merchant bar products, specialty steel sections, and steel joists and deck. In addition, the company produces liquid pig iron and processes and sells ferrous and nonferrous scrap.

Note Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The company reports its financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Management believes that the non-GAAP financial measures EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide additional meaningful information regarding the company's performance and financial strength. Non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed in addition to and not as an alternative for the company's reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, not all companies use identical calculations for EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA; therefore, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA included in this release may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains some predictive statements about future events, including statements related to conditions in domestic or global economies, conditions in steel, aluminum, and recycled metals market places, Steel Dynamics' revenues, costs of purchased materials, future profitability and earnings, and the operation of new, existing or planned facilities. These statements, which we generally precede or accompany by such typical conditional words as "anticipate", "intend", "believe", "estimate", "plan", "seek", "project", or "expect", or by the words "may", "will", or "should", are intended to be made as "forward-looking", subject to many risks and uncertainties, within the safe harbor protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements speak only as of this date and are based upon information and assumptions, which we consider reasonable as of this date, concerning our businesses and the environments in which they operate. Such predictive statements are not guarantees of future performance, and we undertake no duty to update or revise any such statements. Some factors that could cause such forward-looking statements to turn out differently than anticipated include: (1) domestic and global economic factors; (2) global steelmaking overcapacity and imports of steel, together with increased scrap prices; (3) pandemics, epidemics, widespread illness or other health issues; (4) the cyclical nature of the steel industry and the industries we serve; (5) volatility and major fluctuations in prices and availability of scrap metal, scrap substitutes and supplies, and our potential inability to pass higher costs on to our customers; (6) cost and availability of electricity, natural gas, oil, and other energy resources are subject to volatile market conditions; (7) increased environmental, greenhouse gas emissions and sustainability considerations from our customers or related regulations; (8) compliance with and changes in environmental and remediation requirements; (9) significant price and other forms of competition from other steel and aluminum producers, scrap processors and alternative materials; (10) availability of an adequate source of supply of scrap for our metals recycling operations; (11) cybersecurity threats and risks to the security of our sensitive data and information technology; (12) the implementation of our growth strategy; (13) litigation and legal compliance; (14) unexpected equipment downtime or shutdowns; (15) governmental agencies may refuse to grant or renew some of our licenses and permits; (16) our senior unsecured credit facility contains, and any future financing agreements may contain, restrictive covenants that may limit our flexibility; and (17) the impacts of impairment charges.

More specifically, we refer you to our more detailed explanation of these and other factors and risks that may cause such predictive statements to turn out differently, as set forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K under the headings Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors, in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, or in other reports which we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available publicly on the Securities and Exchange Commission website, www.sec.gov, and on our website, www.steeldynamics.com under "Investors – SEC Filings."

Steel Dynamics, Inc. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED) (in thousands, except per share data)
		Three Months Ended						Three Months
		March 31,						Ended
		2024			2023			Dec. 31, 2023
Net sales		$	4,694,003		$	4,893,206		$	4,233,423
Costs of goods sold			3,713,205			3,837,084			3,502,539
Gross profit			980,798			1,056,122			730,884
Selling, general and administrative expenses			159,507			144,309			157,207
Profit sharing			62,652			69,575			47,055
Amortization of intangible assets			7,664			6,878			8,086
Operating income			750,975			835,360			518,536
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest			11,978			22,507			14,795
Other (income) expense, net			(26,784)			(34,936)			(38,498)
Income before income taxes			765,781			847,789			542,239
Income tax expense			178,281			203,456			115,199
Net income			587,500			644,333			427,040
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests			(3,459)			(7,023)			(2,770)
Net income attributable to Steel Dynamics, Inc.		$	584,041		$	637,310		$	424,270
Basic earnings per share attributable to
Steel Dynamics, Inc. stockholders		$	3.68		$	3.71		$	2.63
Weighted average common shares outstanding			158,666			171,597			161,434
Diluted earnings per share attributable to
Steel Dynamics, Inc. stockholders, including the
effect of assumed conversions when dilutive		$	3.67		$	3.70		$	2.61
Weighted average common shares
and share equivalents outstanding			159,354			172,479			162,276
Dividends declared per share		$	0.46		$	0.425		$	0.425

 

Steel Dynamics, Inc. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands)
	March 31,				December 31,
Assets	2024				2023
	(unaudited)
Current assets
Cash and equivalents	$	1,039,421			$	1,400,887
Short-term investments		653,255				721,210
Accounts receivable, net		1,739,060				1,608,307
Inventories		3,027,143				2,894,632
Other current assets		138,557				162,790
Total current assets		6,597,436				6,787,826
Property, plant and equipment, net		7,063,990				6,734,218
Intangible assets, net		250,095				257,759
Goodwill		477,471				477,471
Other assets		637,758				651,146
Total assets	$	15,026,750			$	14,908,420
Liabilities and Equity
Current liabilities
Accounts payable	$	1,183,593			$	1,088,330
Income taxes payable		150,103				5,524
Accrued expenses		539,272				778,455
Current maturities of long-term debt		425,696				459,987
Total current liabilities		2,298,664				2,332,296
Long-term debt		2,612,246				2,611,069
Deferred income taxes		923,745				944,768
Other liabilities		144,336				180,760
Total liabilities		5,978,991				6,068,893
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		171,212				171,212
Equity
Common stock		651				651
Treasury stock, at cost		(6,182,274)				(5,897,606)
Additional paid-in capital		1,197,176				1,217,610
Retained earnings		14,056,868				13,545,590
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(13)				421
Total Steel Dynamics, Inc. equity		9,072,408				8,866,666
Noncontrolling interests		(195,861)				(198,351)
Total equity		8,876,547				8,668,315
Total liabilities and equity	$	15,026,750			$	14,908,420

 

Steel Dynamics, Inc. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands)
	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024			2023
Operating activities:
Net income	$	587,500		$	644,333
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by
operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		115,252			107,694
Equity-based compensation		15,612			16,078
Deferred income taxes		(21,024)			9,008
Other adjustments		18,705			(10,006)
Changes in certain assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		(130,753)			(70,922)
Inventories		(133,025)			141,112
Other assets		(12,176)			7,842
Accounts payable		29,499			117,312
Income taxes receivable/payable		165,664			189,247
Accrued expenses		(280,037)			(417,915)
Net cash provided by operating activities		355,217			733,783
Investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment		(374,310)			(226,319)
Purchases of short-term investments		(205,873)			(356,777)
Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments		272,994			271,107
Other investing activities		14,255			2,343
Net cash used in investing activities		(292,934)			(309,646)
Financing activities:
Issuance of current and long-term debt		379,268			393,910
Repayment of current and long-term debt		(413,939)			(405,279)
Dividends paid		(68,008)			(58,798)
Purchase of treasury stock		(298,059)			(353,997)
Other financing activities		(23,108)			(23,449)
Net cash used in financing activities		(423,846)			(447,613)
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash		(361,563)			(23,476)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period		1,406,464			1,633,919
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period	$	1,044,901		$	1,610,443
Supplemental disclosure information:
Cash paid for interest	$	9,327		$	9,596
Cash paid for income taxes, net	$	28,390		$	4,703

 

Steel Dynamics, Inc. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (dollars in thousands)
		First Quarter
			2024			2023			Q4 2023
External Net Sales
Steel		$	3,366,237		$	3,088,490		$	2,915,325
Steel Fabrication			447,179			868,768			520,573
Metals Recycling			569,473			583,468			488,070
Other			311,114			352,480			309,455
Consolidated Net Sales		$	4,694,003		$	4,893,206		$	4,233,423
Operating Income (Loss)
Steel		$	674,648		$	346,478		$	364,829
Steel Fabrication			178,381			551,313			249,930
Metals Recycling			22,635			42,930			6,429
Aluminum			(13,531)			(2,422)			(10,769)
			862,133			938,299			610,419
Non-cash amortization of intangible assets			(7,664)			(6,878)			(8,086)
Profit sharing expense			(62,652)			(69,575)			(47,055)
Non-segment operations			(40,842)			(26,486)			(36,742)
Consolidated Operating Income		$	750,975		$	835,360		$	518,536
Adjusted EBITDA
Net income		$	587,500		$	644,333		$	427,040
Income taxes			178,281			203,456			115,199
Net interest expense (income)			(14,327)			(3,470)			(16,830)
Depreciation			106,030			99,210			102,082
Amortization of intangible assets			7,664			6,878			8,086
EBITDA			865,148			950,407			635,577
Non-cash adjustments
Unrealized (gains) losses on derivatives
and currency remeasurement			(1,347)			(8,142)			461
Equity-based compensation			14,825			13,877			22,694
Adjusted EBITDA		$	878,626		$	956,142		$	658,732
Other Operating Information
Steel
Average external sales price (Per ton)		$	1,201		$	1,076		$	1,090
Average ferrous cost (Per ton melted)		$	417		$	413		$	393
Flat Roll shipments
Butler, Columbus, and Sinton			1,993,305			1,929,792			1,841,701
Steel Processing divisions *			418,547			435,602			423,690
Long Product shipments
Structural and Rail Division			440,921			495,551			407,175
Engineered Bar Products Division			191,373			231,723			186,390
Roanoke Bar Division			124,920			157,024			117,244
Steel of West Virginia			86,528			95,456			87,537
Total Shipments (Tons)			3,255,594			3,345,148			3,063,737
External Shipments (Tons)			2,803,569			2,869,321			2,674,396
Steel Mill Production (Tons)			2,992,018			2,939,032			2,755,778
Metals Recycling
Nonferrous shipments (000's of pounds)			289,436			285,837			262,734
Ferrous shipments (Gross tons)			1,453,619			1,452,821			1,363,165
External ferrous shipments (Gross tons)			536,973			567,403			506,128
Steel Fabrication
Average sales price (Per ton)		$	3,141		$	5,021		$	3,501
Shipments (Tons)			143,842			173,021			150,002
*   Includes Heartland, The Techs and United Steel Supply operations

 

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SOURCE Steel Dynamics, Inc.

FAQ

What were Steel Dynamics, Inc.'s (STLD) net sales and net income in the first quarter of 2024?

Steel Dynamics, Inc. reported net sales of $4.7 billion and net income of $584 million in the first quarter of 2024.

How many tons of steel did Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) ship in the first quarter of 2024?

Steel Dynamics, Inc. shipped 3.3 million tons of steel in the first quarter of 2024.

What was the company's operating income in the first quarter of 2024?

Steel Dynamics, Inc. reported operating income of $751 million in the first quarter of 2024.

What was the cash flow from operations for Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) in the first quarter of 2024?

Steel Dynamics, Inc. had a cash flow from operations of $355 million in the first quarter of 2024.

Did Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) repurchase any common stock in the first quarter of 2024?

Steel Dynamics, Inc. repurchased $298 million of its common stock, representing 1.5 percent of its outstanding shares, in the first quarter of 2024.