Goldcorp Inc.’s (GG) second-quarter 2013 adjusted earnings (barring one-time items) of 14 cents a share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 28 cents and was well below 41 cents a share earned in the year-ago quarter.
On a reported basis, Goldcorp logged a net loss of $1.93 billion in the second quarter as against net earnings of $268 million in the prior-year quarter. The loss resulted from $1.96 billion (net of tax) of impairment charge related to the exploration potential value at the Penasquito mine in Mexico.
Goldcorp posted revenues of $889 million in the quarter, down roughly 18% year over year. It missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,194 million. Sales were hurt by lower realized gold prices, timing of gold production and a temporary rise in inventory at the Red Lake mine Canada.
Gold sales jumped 17.3% year over year to 624,300 ounces in the reported quarter and production increased 11.6% to 646,000 ounces. Silver production, on the other hand, declined 12.2% year over year to 7.2 million ounces from 8.2 million ounces in the prior-year quarter. All-in sustaining costs totalled $1,279 per ounce while cash cost totaled $646 per ounce on a by-product basis and $713 per ounce on a co-product basis.
Mining Highlights
At the Red Lake mine, gold production went up almost 17.8% year over year to 122,500 ounces in the quarter. Total cash cost was $523 per ounce, a year-over-year decline of almost 8%.
At Porcupine in Ontario, gold production decreased 6.8% to 69,800 ounces with total cash cost coming in at $782 per ounce.
Gold production at Musselwhite climbed 11.2% to 62,800 ounces at a total cash cost of $786 per ounce.
At the Penasquito mine, gold production declined 15.2% to 88,100 ounces. Total cash cost was $920 per ounce of gold on a by-product basis compared with negative $425 in the year-ago quarter. Silver production at the mine was about 5.2 million ounces compared with 6.6 million ounces in the year-ago quarter. A new water source has been identified within Penasquito basin that claims to provide water capacity of 95,000 m3 per day.
At the Los Filos mine, gold production came down 2% to 83,500 ounces at total cash cost of $624 per ounce.
At Marlin, gold production declined 11.8% year over year to 50,000 ounces at a cash cost of $260 per ounce on a by-product basis. Silver production increased 4.8% to 1.8 million ounces.
At Alumbrera, gold and copper production totaled 29,900 ounces and 21.6 million pounds, respectively, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 18.5% and 31.4%, respectively. Total cash cost was $299 per ounce on a by-product basis.
At Pueblo Viejo, where Goldcorp holds a 40% interest while Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX) holds 60%, gold production was 81,000 ounce in the quarter at a total cash cost of $507 per ounce on a by-product basis. Pueblo Viejo achieved commercial production in Jan 2013 and ramp up to full capacity is expected in the second half of 2013.
Financial Position
As of Jun 30, 2013, cash and cash equivalents were $899 million, down 22.4% from $1,158 million as of Jun 30, 2012. Long-term debt stood at $2,287 million as of Jun 30, 2013, a three-fold rise from $759 million as of Jun 30, 2012. The company’s adjusted operating cash flow was $388 million in the reported quarter.
Project Update
General strikes at Qubec led to disruption of developmental activities at the Éleonore gold project for two weeks in June and forest fires led to evacuation of employees from the site in July. However, the exploration activities are running at full strengths with four diamond drills conducting in-fill and exploration drilling.
Non-essential infrastructure and non-critical path activities were postponed at Cerro Negro project, Argentina, till 2014 and 2015, respectively, owing to lower metals prices. However, the detailed engineering of the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) activities have progressed 93% of the work.
The haulage drift has progressed 76% at the Cochenour project in the Red Lake district. The technical studies related to environmental permits for the exploration activities at the Camino Rojo project near Penasquito were submitted to the regulatory permitting authorities.
Outlook
Goldcorp reiterated its guidance for 2013 and expects gold production to between 2.55 million and 2.80 million ounces. Total cash costs are projected between $525 and $575 per ounce of gold on a by-product basis and in the range of $700 to $750 per ounce of gold on a co-product basis. All-in sustaining costs are expected between $1,000 and $1,100 per ounce.
Capital expenditures for 2013 are anticipated at roughly $2.6 billion, lower than the previous guidance of $2.8 billion. Goldcorp is optimistic about its growth opportunities based on the performance of its operations and commendable progress of its project pipeline. Moreover, Goldcorp’s healthy balance sheet and stable cash flows from assets will enable it to continue with its investment that deliver healthy returns to shareholders.
Goldcorp currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Other companies in the mining industry with a favorable Zacks Rank are Pretium Resources Inc. (PVG) and NovaGold Resources Inc. (NG). Both of them carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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