Advertisement
Canada markets open in 3 hours 22 minutes

  • S&P/TSX

    21,873.72
    -138.00 (-0.63%)
     

  • S&P 500

    5,071.63
    +1.08 (+0.02%)
     

  • DOW

    38,460.92
    -42.77 (-0.11%)
     

  • CAD/USD

    0.7310
    +0.0013 (+0.17%)
     

  • CRUDE OIL

    82.77
    -0.04 (-0.05%)
     

  • Bitcoin CAD

    87,377.34
    -3,518.38 (-3.87%)
     

  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,360.57
    -22.00 (-1.59%)
     

  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,336.90
    -1.50 (-0.06%)
     

  • RUSSELL 2000

    1,995.43
    -7.22 (-0.36%)
     

  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.6520
    +0.0540 (+1.17%)
     

  • NASDAQ futures

    17,515.75
    -148.75 (-0.84%)
     

  • VOLATILITY

    16.15
    +0.18 (+1.13%)
     

  • FTSE

    8,098.72
    +58.34 (+0.73%)
     

  • NIKKEI 225

    37,628.48
    -831.60 (-2.16%)
     

  • CAD/EUR

    0.6813
    -0.0006 (-0.09%)
     

Barrick Gold (ABX) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates

Zacks Equity Research
Updated

Barrick Gold Corporation ABX recorded net loss (attributable to equity holders) of $314 million or 27 per share for fourth-quarter 2017 against net earnings of $425 million or 36 cents a year ago.

Barring one-time items, adjusted net earnings came in at $253 million or 22 cents per share for the quarter. Earnings per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 20 cents.

Revenues fell roughly 3.9% year over year to $2,228 million in the fourth quarter, but beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,181 million.

Cost of sales fell roughly 3% year over year to $1,411 million in the quarter.

Full-Year 2017 Results

For 2017, Barrick Gold reported adjusted net earnings of $876 million or 75 cents per share, up 7% from $818 million or 70 cents per share in 2016.

Revenues went down roughly 2.2% year over year to $8,374 million.

Barrick Gold Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Barrick Gold Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Barrick Gold Corporation Quote

ADVERTISEMENT

Operational Highlights

Total gold production was 1.339 million ounces in the fourth quarter, down roughly 11.7% from 1.516 million ounces a year ago.

Average realized price of gold rose 5.2% year over year to $1,280 per ounce in the quarter. All-in sustaining costs (AISC) increased 3.3% year over year to $756 per ounce from $732 in the year-ago quarter.

Copper production decreased to 99 million pounds in the fourth quarter from 101 million pounds in the prior-year quarter. Average realized copper price was $3.34 per pound, up from $2.62 a year ago.

Financial Position

Cash and cash equivalents were $2,234 million at the end of 2017, down roughly 6.5% year over year.

During 2017, Barrick Gold reduced total debt by $1.51 billion to $6.4 billion, surpassing its target of $1.45 billion. The company plans to reduce its total debt to $5 billion by the end of 2018, using portfolio optimizing and cash flows from operations. Also, more than three-quarters of the company’s $6.4 billion of outstanding debt will not mature until 2032.

Guidance

For 2018, Barrick Gold anticipates gold production in the range of 4.5-5 million ounces at AISC of $765-$815 per ounce and cost of sales of $810-$850 per ounce.

Per the company, higher cost guidance reflects lower expected gold production from Pueblo Viejo, Veladero and Barrick Nevada, higher costs at Acacia and increased processing of higher-cost inventory.  Moreover, Barrick Gold expects gold production for the first quarter to be roughly 1 million ounces at proportionately higher costs than those anticipated for the remainder of the year, mainly due to scheduled maintenance at Pueblo Viejo and lower grades at Barrick Nevada.

Price Performance

Barrick Gold’s shares have lost 2.2% in the last three months, outperforming the 5.4% decline recorded by its industry.



 

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Barrick Gold currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Steel Dynamics, Inc. STLD, The Mosaic Company MOS and United States Steel Corporation X, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Steel Dynamics has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 12%. Its shares have soared 29.5% over the last six months.

Mosaic has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 9.5%. Its shares have moved up 25.1% over the past six months.

U.S. Steel has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 8%. Its shares have rallied 57.1% over the last six months.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All

Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>  
 


Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Mosaic Company (The) (MOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
United States Steel Corporation (X) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.