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U.S. Steel (X) Chooses Osceola for Advanced Steelmaking Facility

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United States Steel Corporation (X - Free Report) announced that its next-generation highly sustainable and technologically advanced steel mill will be sited in Osceola, AR. It will be near U. S. Steel’s cutting-edge Big River Steel plant. The site is designed to bring together the most advanced technology to form the steel mill of the future, which provides profitable solutions for its customers.

The new mill is engineered to increase the company’s customer advantages as it plots a bold path toward a more sustainable future. The optimized steel production facility is projected to mark two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) with 3 million tons annually of advanced steelmaking capability, a state-of-the-art endless casting and rolling line and advanced finishing capabilities. This first use of endless casting and rolling technology in the United States brings considerable energy, efficiency and capability enhancements to U.S. Steel’s operations.

This project will apply to become LEED certified upon completion. The site selection is subject to several factors, including final agreements with key partners. The permitting for the project is ongoing and U.S. Steel looks to break ground in the first quarter of this year, with project completion and full operation anticipated in 2024.

The new steelmaking facility, once completed, in combination with Big River Steel will create a 6.3 million ton mega mill, skilled to deliver many of the most advanced and sustainable steels in North America.

Shares of U.S. Steel have gained 7.9% in the past year compared with a 31.4% rise of the industry.

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company, last month, announced its fourth-quarter outlook. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter is forecast to be roughly $1.65 billion.

The company’s Flat-rolled segment is projected to deliver adjusted EBITDA approaching $1 billion in the fourth quarter and EBITDA margins near the third-quarter record levels.

The Mini Mill segment is expected to continue delivering EBITDA margins similar to the third quarter’s record performance regardless of lower volumes due to cautious seasonal buying, reflecting the high-quality earnings in the Mini Mill segment.

The company expects the European segment to deliver lower EBITDA than the third quarter’s record performance, impacted by lower steel prices, unfavorable currency impacts and higher planned outage. The Tubular segment is projected to deliver improved EBITDA performance compared with the previous quarter on higher steel selling prices.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

U.S. Steel currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks worth considering in the basic materials space are Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) , Commercial Metals Company (CMC - Free Report) and AdvanSix Inc. (ASIX - Free Report) .

Albemarle, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has an expected earnings growth rate of 49.6% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB's current-year earnings has been revised 9.2% upward in the past 60 days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

Albemarle beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 22.1%. ALB has rallied around 33.5% in a year.

Commercial Metals, flaunting a Zacks Rank #1, has a projected earnings growth rate of 10.5% for the current fiscal year. CMC's consensus estimate for the current fiscal year has been revised 6.6% upward in the past 60 days.

Commercial Metals beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the last four quarters while missing it once. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 13.1%, on average. CMC has rallied around 63% in a year.

AdvanSix has a projected earnings growth rate of 3.9% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASIX’s earnings for the current year has been revised 1.6% upward in the past 60 days.

AdvanSix beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, the average being 46.9%. ASIX has rallied 100% in a year. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #1.

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