Canada’s Barrick Gold (TSX:ABX)(NYSE:GOLD), the world’s second largest producer of the yellow metal, saw its profit for the three months to September almost tripled as a result of higher output and prices.
The Toronto-based miner also bumped
its payout to investors for the period by 25% to $0.05 per share, as adjusted
profit rose to $264 million, or 15 cents per share. That compares to $89
million, or 8 cents per share, a year earlier.
In terms of output, Barrick churned out 1.31 million ounces in the third quarter from 1.15 million ounces in the three months to June 30.
The gold giant, however, expects production
numbers to stay put through 2024, reaching between 5.15 and 5.6 million ounces
of gold a year — in line with what it expects to produce this year.
The world’s second largest gold miner sees output reaching 5.15 to 5.6 million ounces a year between 2020 and 2024.
The company also predicted all-in
sustaining costs (AISC) to be between $850 and $950 an ounce over the next five
years, an improvement from the $984-million per ounce reported in the quarter.
Barrick has been looking to boost
its reserves to address falling production. In July, it took a step into
that direction by agreeing to combine its assets in the US state of Nevada with
those of Newmont Goldcorp, the world’s No. 1 gold producer.
It has also taken over its subsidiary in Tanzania, Acacia Mining, which had spun off from the gold giant in 2010, paving the way for an end to long-dragged tax dispute between the unit and the government of the African country.
A final settlement, which meant the creation of a new company — Twiga Minerals — was reached in October. Barrick has said it plans to sell about $1.5 billion in assets by the end of 2020. At the same time, it’s looking to buy more top-tier gold projects, in Canada and elsewhere, and invest in copper assets.