U.S. Steel made a record $4.174 billion net earnings for 2021, or $14.88 per diluted share, and fourth quarter 2021 net earnings of $1.069 billion, or $3.75 per diluted share, owing to a robust economic recovery and high price for steel driven by strong demand. The company outperformed Wall Street expectations and has climbed over 4.5 percent in Friday’s trading. Compared to Q4 2020, U.S. Steel gained more than 1,600 percent when it earned 22 cents a share, or $49 million, in Q4 2021 when earnings rose to nearly $1.1 billion, or $3.75 a share. Sales have gone up from $2.56 billion in 2020 to $5.62 billion last year. This number exceeded Factset analysts’ expectations which was $4.37 a share on sales of $5.4 billion. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker has also authorized $500 million worth of stock buyback which will begin in the first quarter. “Through our Best for All customer-centric …