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Compared to Estimates, Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

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Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF - Free Report) reported $4.92 billion in revenue for the quarter ended March 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 6.3%. EPS of -$0.40 for the same period compares to -$0.92 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.83 billion, representing a surprise of +1.81%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +9.5%, with the consensus EPS estimate being -$0.44.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Cleveland-Cliffs performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
  • External Sales Volumes - Total steel Products: 4,108.00 KTon versus the three-analyst average estimate of 4,058.86 KTon.
  • Average net selling price per net ton of steel products: $1,048.00 versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1,055.98.
  • Steel shipments by product - Coated steel: 1,187.00 KTon versus the two-analyst average estimate of 1,225.24 KTon.
  • Steel shipments by product - Slab and other steel products: 173.00 KTon versus 141.76 KTon estimated by two analysts on average.
  • Revenues- Other Businesses: $165 million versus $169.33 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +1.9% change.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking: $4.76 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $4.71 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +6.5%.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking- Coated steel: $1.43 billion versus $1.48 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +5.1% change.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking- Slab and other steel products: $108 million versus $92.16 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -56.3% change.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking- Plate: $254 million compared to the $265.07 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +2.8% year over year.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking- Other: $452 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $417.67 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +10%.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking- Cold-rolled steel: $637 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $681.93 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +7.8%.
  • Revenues- Steelmaking- Hot-rolled steel: $1.41 billion compared to the $1.32 billion average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +20.9% year over year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Cleveland-Cliffs here>>>

Shares of Cleveland-Cliffs have returned +21.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +9.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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