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Investing.com -- ArcelorMittal (AS:MT) on Wednesday posted a net income of $805 million and EBITDA of $1.6 billion for Q1, buoyed by record iron ore production in Liberia and strong performance in North America.
Despite seasonal challenges and global trade uncertainties, sales remained stable at $14.8 billion, and operating income surged 55.9% to $825 million.
However, EBITDA dropped 4.5% from the previous quarter, mainly due to seasonal pressures and price-cost challenges in Europe.
The steel manufacturing company also faced a $1.7 billion working capital investment, resulting in a free cash outflow of $1.4 billion and a rise in net debt to $6.7 billion.
In regional performance, North America saw a 9.6% sales increase to $2.9 billion, while Brazil’s sales fell 8.4%.
Europe’s sales remained steady at $7.2 billion, but EBITDA dropped 11.1%. Income from joint ventures and associates fell 49%, reflecting seasonality and lower returns from European investees.
The mining segment performed well, with Liberia’s iron ore shipments contributing to a 1.9% increase in mining EBITDA to $320 million.
ArcelorMittal continues to focus on growth, including its Liberia iron ore expansion and new facilities in India and the U.S., which are expected to add $1.8 billion to EBITDA by 2027.
The company also completed an $85 million share buyback and announced a new buyback initiative.
"Heightened uncertainty around the terms of global trade is hurting business confidence and risks causing further economic disruption if not quickly resolved," said Aditya Mittal, chief executive at the company in a statement.
"It is encouraging however that around the world, governments are committed to supporting their domestic manufacturing industries," he added.
Despite geopolitical uncertainties, ArcelorMittal remains cautious and plans $4.5 billion to $5 billion in capex for 2025, including $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion for growth projects.