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B2Gold Corp.BTO.TOWAITOct 27, 2017Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 19, 2026. Market Open.
EPS of $0.05 missed expectations of $0.0656 and revenues of $477.89M missed expectations of $484.68M. Gold production was 242.8K ounces in the quarter, with expectations of an increase in Q4. Its AISC were lower than annual guidance ranges, which is a positive, and its Goose project construction was on budget. It remains on track to meet its 2023 total gold production forecast, Its gross profit improved significantly, however, it incurred higher operating expenses due to impairments and foreign exchange losses. Its cash from operations remains strong and its balance sheet is in good shape. This was an OK quarter, and we feel much will depend on the price of gold, although production is moving in the right direction.
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We have tended to lean towards large caps, such as AEM. We think KRR and AGI are also buys. BTO is a fairly large cap, offering good value at only 10X earnings with a 4.7% dividend. The balance sheet is very solid with $500M cash. We like it, but consensus calls for very low growth in the next two years, and EPS is still down from 2020 levels. So buyers need to have some patience. The last quarter was OK. NGG has outperformed BTO, and also has cash (only $35M though). But it is not yet producing so is still losing money, with negative cash flow. While we think it has potential, at this time we would prefer producers, taking comfort in the ongoing cash flow in a tough environment vs owning a developer still burning cash.
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Gold seasonality is really from the end of July to the beginning of October, but it can also do well from December into February. There is an interest rate increase possibility for December in the US. If they do, it hurts gold. Has seen gold perform poorly in December until the end of December because of the tendency for the Fed to raise rates at the end of the year. Wait until the end of December before actually adding, and then let it run into Jan/Feb.