United States Steel Corporation Announces a $300 Million Stock Repurchase Program and Increases Its Quarterly Dividend to $0.05 Per Share

Rhea-AI Summary

United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) announced enhancements to its capital allocation strategy, including a stock repurchase program worth up to $300 million and a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, marking a 400% increase from the previous quarter. The dividend will be paid on December 9, 2021, to shareholders on record by November 8, 2021. The company is on track to meet its $1 billion deleveraging target by year-end, reflecting strong cash and liquidity positions, and aims for long-term value creation through organic growth investments.

Positive

• Stock buyback program of up to $300 million enhances shareholder value.
• Quarterly dividend increased by 400%, indicating strong financial health.
• $1 billion deleveraging target to be met ahead of schedule, improving financial stability.

Negative

• None.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) (“U. S. Steel”) today announced that its Board of Directors approved significant enhancements to its capital allocation priorities aligned with the continued execution of its Best for All℠ strategy. The enhancements include:

• A stock repurchase program under which up to $300 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock may be repurchased at the discretion of management.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, a 400%, or $0.04 per share, increase over the previous quarter’s dividend. The dividend is payable Thursday, December 9, 2021 to stockholders of record at the close of business on Monday, November 8, 2021.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the significant progress we have made in the execution of our Best for All strategy,” said U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt. “We have made substantial progress on our announced deleveraging plans and expect to complete our incremental $1.0 billion target by the end of the year and ahead of schedule. Our expected $3.1 billion of total 2021 deleveraging combined with our robust cash and liquidity position has also allowed us to confidently begin executing organic growth investments aligned with long-term value creation. Today’s capital allocation enhancements further affirm our bullish outlook for the long-term future of U. S. Steel, are attractive uses of capital and demonstrate that our strategy is truly best for all by ensuring our stockholders directly benefit from the company’s continued success.”

The shares will be purchased from time to time at prevailing market prices, through open market or privately negotiated transactions, depending upon market conditions. Under the program, the purchases will be funded from cash on hand, and the repurchased shares will be held as treasury shares. There is no guarantee as to the exact number of shares to be repurchased by the Company, and the Company may discontinue purchases at any time that management determines additional purchases are not warranted. As of October 25, 2021, the Company had approximately 270.2 million shares outstanding.

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," “will,” "may" and similar expressions or by using future dates in connection with any discussion of, among other things, the timing, size and form of stock repurchase transactions. 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. The 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 the 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, 2020, and those described from time to time in our future reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. References to "we," "us," "our," the "Company," and "U. S. Steel," refer to United States Steel Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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 26.2 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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028006158/en/

John O. Ambler

Vice President

Corporate Communications

T – (412) 433-2407

E – joambler@uss.com

Kevin Lewis

Vice President

Investor Relations

T – (412) 433-6935

E – klewis@uss.com

Source: United States Steel Corporation

FAQ

What is the stock repurchase program announced by United States Steel Corporation?

United States Steel Corporation announced a stock repurchase program allowing for up to $300 million of its outstanding common stock to be repurchased.

When will the new dividend be paid to shareholders of United States Steel Corporation?

The new dividend of $0.05 per share will be paid on December 9, 2021, to shareholders of record by November 8, 2021.

What financial goals is United States Steel Corporation achieving?

The company is on track to meet its $1 billion deleveraging target by year-end 2021, demonstrating improved financial stability.