Barrick reports lower-than-expected preliminary gold output in third quarter

(Reuters) -Barrick Gold produced lower than expected gold in the third quarter, pressured by lower output at its Carlin and Cortez mines in Nevada, the Canadian miner said on Wednesday.

The company, however, said an operational expansion at its Carlin mine would support higher throughput and recoveries in the last quarter of the year.

Barrick's total preliminary output stood at 943,000 ounces of gold in the July-September period, compared with analysts' estimate of 975,000 ounces, according to data compiled by LSEG.

All in sustaining costs (AISC) for gold, an industry metric used to express total expenses, are expected to rise at least 2% over the $1,498 per ounce reported in the previous quarter. Analysts estimate AISC of $1,491 for the three months ended Sept. 30.

The company's U.S.-listed shares were up marginally before the bell.

(Reporting by Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)