Trump Administration Celebrates Increase in U.S. Steel Production
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 6d ago
0mins
Should l Buy CLF?
Source: Benzinga
- Steel Production Data: The White House reported U.S. steel production at 80.8 million tons for 2024, rising to 81.8 million tons in 2025, reflecting a 1.2% increase; however, the graph misleadingly suggested a doubling of production, prompting public scrutiny.
- Community Note Response: Social media users flagged the White House's graph with a Community Note, highlighting its misleading nature and emphasizing that the actual increase was only 1.2%, showcasing public concern for government transparency and data accuracy.
- Stock Market Performance: Major U.S. steel companies have seen strong stock performance over the past year, indicating that the robust U.S. steel production could continue to drive stock gains for these firms, particularly as the government promotes domestic production.
- Historical Misleading Issues: The White House's official accounts have previously been flagged for misleading data, indicating ongoing challenges in information dissemination, particularly regarding economic data and policy communications.
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Analyst Views on CLF
Wall Street analysts forecast CLF stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CLF is 12.78 USD with a low forecast of 5.75 USD and a high forecast of 17.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
9 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
5 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 13.850
Low
5.75
Averages
12.78
High
17.00
Current: 13.850
Low
5.75
Averages
12.78
High
17.00
About CLF
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is a steel producer with a focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automotive industry in North America. The Company is vertically integrated from the mining of iron ore, production of pellets and direct reduced iron, and processing of ferrous scrap through primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. Its offering includes advanced high-strength steel, hot-dipped galvanized, aluminized, galvalume, electrogalvanized, galvanneal, hot-rolled coil (HRC), cold-rolled coil, plate, grain oriented electrical steel (GOES), non-oriented electrical steel (NOES), stainless steels, tool and die, stamped components, rail, slab and cast ingot. Its Other Businesses primarily include the Tubular and Tooling and Stamping segments that provide customer solutions with carbon and stainless steel tubing products, advanced-engineered solutions, tool design and build, hot- and cold-stamped steel components and complex assemblies.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Cleveland-Cliffs Earnings Outlook Analysis Ahead of February 2026 Release
- Earnings Expectations Rise: Cleveland-Cliffs anticipates that its February 9, 2026 earnings report will show higher revenue and EPS compared to last year, despite significant downward revisions in analyst forecasts, indicating a rapid shift in market sentiment.
- Execution Risks Intensify: While recent share price increases are noted, the company's heavy debt load and capital-intensive operations raise questions about sustainable profitability, particularly as results from the POSCO partnership and automotive steel initiatives remain to be seen.
- Significant Valuation Discrepancies: Market fair value estimates for Cleveland-Cliffs vary widely, ranging from $13.44 to $56.79, reflecting differing investor perspectives on the company's future profitability, especially in light of recent earnings forecast cuts.
- Potential Undervaluation: Despite the rise in Cleveland-Cliffs' stock price, it is still considered undervalued by 43%, prompting investors to closely monitor the upcoming earnings report and balance sheet trends to assess future investment opportunities.
See More
Key Earnings Reports and Economic Outlook This Week
- DuPont Earnings Expectations: DuPont is expected to report earnings of $0.43 per share and revenue of $1.69 billion for Q4 2025, with analysts noting ongoing pressure in short-cycle businesses, while slight improvements in the automotive sector may influence investor sentiment.
- Cisco's AI Focus: Cisco anticipates earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $15.1 billion for Q2 FY2026, with CEO highlighting a major multi-year campus networking refresh, making AI infrastructure demand a critical growth driver.
- Importance of Employment Report: The January employment report is expected to show an addition of 80,000 nonfarm payrolls and an unchanged unemployment rate of 4.4%, directly impacting private consumption and U.S. GDP, making it crucial for investors to monitor.
- Consumer Price Index Insights: The January CPI is projected to increase by 2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI rising by 2.6%, providing essential inflation details despite not being the Fed's preferred measure, particularly regarding persistent shelter cost inflation.
See More
Next Week's Market Focus: Super Bowl and Earnings Reports
- Super Bowl Event: This Sunday, the Patriots will face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, expected to attract a large audience and boost related advertising revenues, further solidifying the significance of sporting events in the market.
- Earnings Season Arrives: Companies like Coinbase, Ford, McDonald's, and Moderna will report earnings next week, with analysts focusing on McDonald's same-store sales, which are expected to rise due to promotional activities, reflecting consumer demand for value products.
- Economic Data Release: The delayed January jobs report will be released on Wednesday, with economists forecasting the addition of 70,000 jobs in the U.S., providing the market with the latest dynamics on the labor market.
- Inflation Indicator Focus: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be released on Friday, with the market closely monitoring this key indicator's impact on future economic outlook and Federal Reserve policy, potentially influencing interest rate decisions.
See More
Cleveland-Cliffs Set to Release Q4 Earnings on February 9
- Earnings Announcement: Cleveland-Cliffs is set to announce its Q4 earnings on February 9 before market open, with a consensus EPS estimate of -$0.62, reflecting an 8.8% year-over-year decline, indicating potential profitability challenges ahead.
- Revenue Expectations: The revenue estimate stands at $4.59 billion, representing a 6.7% year-over-year increase, suggesting some market demand, but the growth may not be sufficient to positively impact stock performance in the short term.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Cleveland-Cliffs has only beaten EPS estimates 50% of the time and revenue estimates 13% of the time, highlighting significant uncertainty regarding the company's profitability.
- Estimate Revision Trends: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions for EPS estimates, with six downward revisions, and similarly, revenue estimates saw no upward adjustments but seven downward revisions, indicating a weakening market confidence in the company's future performance.
See More
Trump Administration Celebrates Increase in U.S. Steel Production
- Steel Production Data: The White House reported U.S. steel production at 80.8 million tons for 2024, rising to 81.8 million tons in 2025, reflecting a 1.2% increase; however, the graph misleadingly suggested a doubling of production, prompting public scrutiny.
- Community Note Response: Social media users flagged the White House's graph with a Community Note, highlighting its misleading nature and emphasizing that the actual increase was only 1.2%, showcasing public concern for government transparency and data accuracy.
- Stock Market Performance: Major U.S. steel companies have seen strong stock performance over the past year, indicating that the robust U.S. steel production could continue to drive stock gains for these firms, particularly as the government promotes domestic production.
- Historical Misleading Issues: The White House's official accounts have previously been flagged for misleading data, indicating ongoing challenges in information dissemination, particularly regarding economic data and policy communications.
See More
Steel Dynamics Declines, Yet Its Earnings Provide Optimism for the Industry in 2026.
- Stock Performance: Steel Dynamics’ stock initially surged after the company reported better-than-expected earnings.
- Market Reaction: Following the initial jump, the stock experienced a decline.
- Management Outlook: The company's management expressed optimism regarding the steel sector for the upcoming year.
- Earnings Report Impact: The earnings report had a significant impact on investor sentiment and stock volatility.
See More
Cleveland-Cliffs Earnings Outlook Analysis Ahead of February 2026 Release
- Earnings Expectations Rise: Cleveland-Cliffs anticipates that its February 9, 2026 earnings report will show higher revenue and EPS compared to last year, despite significant downward revisions in analyst forecasts, indicating a rapid shift in market sentiment.
- Execution Risks Intensify: While recent share price increases are noted, the company's heavy debt load and capital-intensive operations raise questions about sustainable profitability, particularly as results from the POSCO partnership and automotive steel initiatives remain to be seen.
- Significant Valuation Discrepancies: Market fair value estimates for Cleveland-Cliffs vary widely, ranging from $13.44 to $56.79, reflecting differing investor perspectives on the company's future profitability, especially in light of recent earnings forecast cuts.
- Potential Undervaluation: Despite the rise in Cleveland-Cliffs' stock price, it is still considered undervalued by 43%, prompting investors to closely monitor the upcoming earnings report and balance sheet trends to assess future investment opportunities.
See More
Key Earnings Reports and Economic Outlook This Week
- DuPont Earnings Expectations: DuPont is expected to report earnings of $0.43 per share and revenue of $1.69 billion for Q4 2025, with analysts noting ongoing pressure in short-cycle businesses, while slight improvements in the automotive sector may influence investor sentiment.
- Cisco's AI Focus: Cisco anticipates earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $15.1 billion for Q2 FY2026, with CEO highlighting a major multi-year campus networking refresh, making AI infrastructure demand a critical growth driver.
- Importance of Employment Report: The January employment report is expected to show an addition of 80,000 nonfarm payrolls and an unchanged unemployment rate of 4.4%, directly impacting private consumption and U.S. GDP, making it crucial for investors to monitor.
- Consumer Price Index Insights: The January CPI is projected to increase by 2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI rising by 2.6%, providing essential inflation details despite not being the Fed's preferred measure, particularly regarding persistent shelter cost inflation.
See More
Next Week's Market Focus: Super Bowl and Earnings Reports
- Super Bowl Event: This Sunday, the Patriots will face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, expected to attract a large audience and boost related advertising revenues, further solidifying the significance of sporting events in the market.
- Earnings Season Arrives: Companies like Coinbase, Ford, McDonald's, and Moderna will report earnings next week, with analysts focusing on McDonald's same-store sales, which are expected to rise due to promotional activities, reflecting consumer demand for value products.
- Economic Data Release: The delayed January jobs report will be released on Wednesday, with economists forecasting the addition of 70,000 jobs in the U.S., providing the market with the latest dynamics on the labor market.
- Inflation Indicator Focus: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be released on Friday, with the market closely monitoring this key indicator's impact on future economic outlook and Federal Reserve policy, potentially influencing interest rate decisions.
See More
Cleveland-Cliffs Set to Release Q4 Earnings on February 9
- Earnings Announcement: Cleveland-Cliffs is set to announce its Q4 earnings on February 9 before market open, with a consensus EPS estimate of -$0.62, reflecting an 8.8% year-over-year decline, indicating potential profitability challenges ahead.
- Revenue Expectations: The revenue estimate stands at $4.59 billion, representing a 6.7% year-over-year increase, suggesting some market demand, but the growth may not be sufficient to positively impact stock performance in the short term.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Cleveland-Cliffs has only beaten EPS estimates 50% of the time and revenue estimates 13% of the time, highlighting significant uncertainty regarding the company's profitability.
- Estimate Revision Trends: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions for EPS estimates, with six downward revisions, and similarly, revenue estimates saw no upward adjustments but seven downward revisions, indicating a weakening market confidence in the company's future performance.
See More
Trump Administration Celebrates Increase in U.S. Steel Production
- Steel Production Data: The White House reported U.S. steel production at 80.8 million tons for 2024, rising to 81.8 million tons in 2025, reflecting a 1.2% increase; however, the graph misleadingly suggested a doubling of production, prompting public scrutiny.
- Community Note Response: Social media users flagged the White House's graph with a Community Note, highlighting its misleading nature and emphasizing that the actual increase was only 1.2%, showcasing public concern for government transparency and data accuracy.
- Stock Market Performance: Major U.S. steel companies have seen strong stock performance over the past year, indicating that the robust U.S. steel production could continue to drive stock gains for these firms, particularly as the government promotes domestic production.
- Historical Misleading Issues: The White House's official accounts have previously been flagged for misleading data, indicating ongoing challenges in information dissemination, particularly regarding economic data and policy communications.
See More
Steel Dynamics Declines, Yet Its Earnings Provide Optimism for the Industry in 2026.
- Stock Performance: Steel Dynamics’ stock initially surged after the company reported better-than-expected earnings.
- Market Reaction: Following the initial jump, the stock experienced a decline.
- Management Outlook: The company's management expressed optimism regarding the steel sector for the upcoming year.
- Earnings Report Impact: The earnings report had a significant impact on investor sentiment and stock volatility.
See More
