Miner Spins Out Copper Assets

Source: Streetwise Reports 06/26/2018

A Haywood Securities note described this company’s recently announced corporate strategy, which includes spinning out its copper assets.

In a June 21 research note, analyst Kerry Smith with Haywood Securities reported that Equinox Gold Corp. (EQX:TSX.V) intends to spin out its copper assets, three of which have upside potential, into a new corporation called Solaris Copper Inc. “Our valuation for Equinox included nominal value for the copper assets (CA$20 million) and we think this is a smart transaction to potentially provide additional value to shareholders for projects that have been overshadowed by gold assets,” Smith added.

He listed and described the assets that the Solaris spinco will primarily encompass primarily, which are:

1. A 100% interest in the Warintza project in southeastern Ecuador, which has a current mineral resource estimate of 1.8 billion pounds (1.8 Blb) of copper at an average grade of 0.42% and 132.3 million pounds of molybdenum at an average grade of 0.031%. Equinox has an individual who is working to garner local support for the company to resume exploration at Warintza. Once this happens, Solaris could raise funds, privately or through an initial public offering, for such a program. “It’s expected Equinox will remain a supportive shareholder, as least in the near term,” noted Smith.

2. A 60% interest in the La Verde copper-silver-gold project in Michoacan, Mexico. It contains 3.7 Blb of copper in the Measured and Indicated category at an average grade of 0.41% along with 2.7 Blb of copper in the Inferred category at an average grade of 0.37%. An update to the 2012 PEA on La Verde should be released in late June.

3. A 100% interest in the Ricardo copper property near Calama, Chile, which encompasses about 16,000 hectares on the copper-rich West Fissure Fault.

4. Earn-in agreements for two recently acquired, early-stage copper prospects in Peru.

5. About $500,000 in cash, until Solaris has agreements in place to drill at Warintza.

After a “10:1 rollback,” Equinox shareholders will hold 60% of Solaris whereas Equinox Gold will hold 40%, Smith wrote. “Solaris will operate as a reporting issuer but will not initially be listed.”

A shareholder vote on the spinout is taking place at the July 26, 2018 meeting. Two-thirds of the votes must be in favor of the spinout for it to happen. In the event that it does, closing would occur in August.

On the gold front, Equinox is focused on restarting its Aurizona open-pit project in Brazil, on which additional construction updates are anticipated throughout 2018, said Smith. Another development target is its past-producing Castle Mountain project in San Bernardino County, California, on which a prefeasibility study incorporating results of the 2014 PEA is expected in Q3/18. The company aims to pour its first gold by 2018E.

Haywood has a Buy rating and a per-share price target of CA$2.80 on Equinox.

Want to read more Gold Report articles like this? Sign up for our free e-newsletter, and you’ll learn when new articles have been published. To see a list of recent articles and interviews with industry analysts and commentators, visit our Streetwise Interviews page.

Disclosure:
1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.
3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports’ terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Equinox Gold Corp., a company mentioned in this article.

( Companies Mentioned: EQX:TSX.V,
)

…read more

From:: The Gold Report