U.S. Steel reported fourth-quarter loss and revenue that matched Wall Street estimates on Thursday, dented by price declines and a bumpy demand environment.

(Reuters) -Activist investor Ancora has nominated nine candidates to U.S. Steel's board of directors, as it looks to oust company CEO David Burritt and push the American steelmaker to back out of a $14.9 billion merger deal with Japan's Nippon Steel.

Ancora Holdings Group said the board of U.S. Steel and its CEO have prioritized the sale to Nippon because they stand to profit if it goes forward.

The exact size of Ancora's stake in U.S. Steel could not be determined. The activist investor also intends to rally shareholders around a plan to oust U.S. Steel's top boss David Burritt, the report said.

The two steel makers are seeking to revive Nippon Steel’s $14 billion takeover of U.S. Steel after it was blocked by the Biden administration.

U.S. Steel is now in a dire state due its excessive capital spending, high debt, soft earnings and nonexistent contingency plan,” Ancora wrote.

An asset manager is seeking to quash Nippon Steel’s takeover of U.S. Steel and oust the leadership of the U.S. steelmaker after taking a stake in the company.

The vast diversity of Native American groups probably isn't something you covered all that in-depth in your U.S. history class. But the tribes living in precontact America built cultures as complex and intriguing as the colonizers who displaced