ArcelorMittal reports Q2 EPS 63c, consensus 75c

Reports Q2 revenue $16.25B, consensus $16.52B. The company said, “The Company continued to make good progress in the first half of the year. Starting with safety, the comprehensive dss+ audit of all matters safety related is nearing completion. There has been excellent engagement at all levels across the Group and no doubt the learnings and recommendations will be instrumental in helping us achieve our safety goals. Our pipeline of attractive strategic growth projects, which combined with recent acquisitions, have the estimated potential to increase EBITDA by $2.0 billion, are starting to come on-line. The Vega CMC is ramping up and the 1GW renewables project in India has now started commissioning, with several other projects due to complete this year. Demand continues to grow for our XCarb recycled and renewably produced steels, which are currently shining brightly on the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in the form of the Olympic “Spectacular” rings and Paralympic “Agitos”. As important as our low carbon steel products, are our climate solutions. We have recently launched the new HyMatch brand for hydrogen transport pipelines supporting the implementation of hydrogen infrastructure globally and the recent acquisition of Italpannelli’s Italian and Spanish businesses, builds our exposure to the attractive insulation panels market for low carbon emissions buildings. We also continue to progress our decarbonization agenda, with groundbreaking having taken place on the new 1.1 million tonne electric arc furnace in Gijon. Financially, performance in the second quarter was broadly similar to the first, reflecting the continued subdued economic sentiment. Inventories are at a low level which will support apparent steel demand growth ex-China of between 2.5% and 3% this year. The Company enjoys a healthy balance sheet, from which it can continue to invest for growth and market share and consistently return cash to shareholders.”