Cleveland-Cliffs Announces Proposed Offering of Common Shares, including 40,000,000 Common Shares by ArcelorMittal

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CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 60,000,000 common shares, par value $0.125 per share (the “Common Shares”), which consists of 40,000,000 currently outstanding Common Shares offered by ArcelorMittal North America Holdings LLC, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of ArcelorMittal S.A. (the “Selling Shareholder”) and 20,000,000 Common Shares offered by the Company. The Company also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 9,000,000 Common Shares.

The Company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Selling Shareholder’s currently outstanding Common Shares in the Offering. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering, plus cash on hand, to redeem up to approximately $334 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 9.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2025. The Company intends to use any remaining net proceeds following such redemption to reduce borrowings under its existing asset-based revolving credit facility. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption of the 9.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2025.

BofA Securities is acting as underwriter for the Offering and proposes to offer the Common Shares from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the New York Stock Exchange, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at prevailing market prices, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and is effective. The Offering will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained for free by visiting the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies may be obtained by contacting BofA Securities, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department or by emailing dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com.

This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase securities or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities, nor does it constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.

About Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. Founded in 1847 as a mine operator, we are also the largest supplier of iron ore pellets in North America. In 2020, we acquired two major steelmakers, AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA, vertically integrating our legacy iron ore business with quality-focused steel production and emphasis on the automotive end market. Our fully integrated portfolio includes custom-made pellets and direct reduced iron; flat-rolled carbon steel, stainless, electrical, plate, tin and long steel products; as well as carbon and stainless steel tubing, hot and cold stamping and tooling. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, we employ approximately 25,000 people across our mining, steel and downstream manufacturing 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 the expected benefits of the Offering, and 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: the finalization of our financial statements as of and for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2020, which may differ from our expectations and preliminary estimated financial information; disruptions to our operations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the heightened risk that a significant portion of our workforce or on-site contractors may suffer illness or otherwise be unable to perform their ordinary work functions; continued volatility of steel and iron ore 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, which has been experiencing a trend toward lightweighting that could result in lower steel volumes being consumed; potential weaknesses and uncertainties in global economic conditions, excess global steelmaking capacity, oversupply of iron ore, prevalence of steel imports and reduced market demand, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; severe financial hardship, bankruptcy, temporary or permanent shutdowns or operational challenges, due to the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, of one or more of our major customers, including customers in the automotive market, key suppliers or contractors, which, among other adverse effects, could 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 (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 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; 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 cash flow necessary to fund working capital, planned capital expenditures, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes or ongoing needs of our business; adverse changes in credit ratings, interest rates, foreign currency rates and tax laws; limitations on our ability to realize some or all of our deferred tax assets or net operating loss carryforwards; our ability to realize the anticipated synergies and benefits of our acquisitions of AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA and to successfully integrate the businesses of AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA into our existing businesses, including uncertainties associated with maintaining relationships with customers, vendors and employees; additional debt we assumed, incurred or issued in connection with the acquisition of AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA, as well as additional debt we incurred in connection with enhancing our liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic, may negatively impact our credit profile and limit our financial flexibility; known and unknown liabilities we assumed in connection with the acquisition of AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA, including significant environmental, pension and other postretirement benefits (“OPEB”) obligations; the ability of our customers, joint venture partners and third-party service providers to meet their obligations to us on a timely basis or at all; supply chain disruptions or changes in the cost or quality of energy sources or critical raw materials and supplies, including iron ore, industrial gases, graphite electrodes, scrap, chrome, zinc, coke and coal; liabilities and costs arising in connection with any business decisions to temporarily idle or permanently close a mine or production facility, which could adversely impact the carrying value of associated assets and give rise to impairment charges, as well as uncertainties associated with restarting any previously idled mine or production facility; problems or disruptions associated with transporting products to our customers, moving products internally among our facilities or suppliers transporting raw materials to us; uncertainties associated with natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, unanticipated geological conditions, critical equipment failures, infectious disease outbreaks, tailings dam failures and other unexpected events; our level of self-insurance and our ability to obtain sufficient third-party insurance to adequately cover potential adverse events and business risks; disruptions in, or failures of, our information technology systems, including those related to cybersecurity; our ability to successfully identify and consummate any strategic investments or development projects, cost-effectively achieve planned production rates or levels and diversify our product mix and add new customers; our actual economic iron ore and coal reserves or reductions in current mineral estimates, including whether we are able to replace depleted reserves with additional mineral bodies to support the long-term viability of our operations; the outcome of any contractual disputes with our customers, joint venture partners, lessors, or significant energy, material or service providers, or any other litigation or arbitration; our ability to maintain our social license to operate with our stakeholders, including by fostering a strong reputation and consistent operational and safety track record; our ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations with unions and employees; availability of workers to fill critical operational positions and potential labor shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as our ability to attract, hire, develop and retain key personnel, including within the acquired AK Steel and ArcelorMittal USA businesses; unanticipated or higher costs associated with pension and OPEB obligations resulting from changes in the value of plan assets or contribution increases required for unfunded obligations; and potential significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

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, 2019, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020 and other filings filed with the SEC.

You are urged to carefully consider these risk factors.

MEDIA:
Patricia Persico
Director, Corporate Communications
(216) 694-5316

INVESTORS:
Paul Finan
Vice President, Investor Relations
(216) 694-6544

Source: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Released February 8, 2021