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Endeavour Reports Q1-2024 Results
ENDEAVOUR REPORTS Q1-2024 RESULTSOn track for 2024 guidance • BIOX® Expansion first gold achieved • Lafigué dry commissioning underway
OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (for continuing operations unless otherwise specified)
Q1-2024 production of 219koz at an AISC of $1,186/oz; on track to achieve full year 2024 guidance with performance strongly weighted towards H2-2024
Adjusted EBITDA of $213m for Q1-2024, down 27% over Q4-2023
Adjusted Net Earnings of $41m (or $0.17/sh) for Q1-2024, flat over Q4-2023
Operating Cash Flow before changes in WC of $137m (or $0.56/sh) for Q1-2024, down 44% over Q4-2023
Healthy financial position with a net debt position of $831m at end Q1-2024 with $481m in cash and available liquidity
ORGANIC GROWTH
Sabodala-Massawa BIOX® Expansion first gold pour completed on 18 April 2024, in only 2 years from construction launch, with project on budget and on schedule; expansion ramping up to nameplate capacity in Q3-2024
Lafigué development project on budget and on schedule for first gold in late Q2-2024 with dry commissioning underway
Strong exploration efforts with $25m spent in Q1-2024; mineralisation extended at the Assafou deposit
ATTRACTIVE SHAREHOLDER RETURNS
$100m or $0.41/sh dividend paid in Q1-2024 bringing FY-2023 dividend to $200m, 14% above minimum commitment
$13m or 0.7 million share buybacks completed during Q1-2024 continue to supplement shareholder returns
Shareholder returns total $917m since Q1-2021, equivalent to $211 for every ounce of gold produced over the period
London, 2 May 2024 – Endeavour Mining plc ((LSE:EDV, TSX:EDV, OTCQX:EDVMF) ("Endeavour", the "Group" or the "Company") announces its operating and financial results for Q1-2024, with highlights provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Q1-2024 Highlights from continuing operations1
All amounts in US$ million unless otherwise specified
THREE MONTHS ENDED
31 March2024
31 December2023
31 March2023
Δ Q1-2024 vs.Q4-2023
OPERATING DATA
Gold Production, koz
219
280
243
(22)%
Gold sold, koz
225
285
252
(21)%
All-in Sustaining Cost2, $/oz
1,186
947
955
+25%
Realised Gold Price3, $/oz
2,041
1,945
1,879
+5%
CASH FLOW
Operating Cash Flow before changes in working capital
137
246
219
(44)%
Operating Cash Flow before changes in working capital2, $/sh
0.56
1.00
0.89
(44)%
Operating Cash Flow
55
167
191
(67)%
Operating Cash Flow2, $/sh
0.22
0.68
0.77
(68)%
PROFITABILITY
Net Earnings Attributable to Shareholders
(20)
(160)
(1)
n.a.
Net Earnings, $/sh
(0.08)
(0.65)
0.00
n.a.
Adj. Net Earnings Attributable to Shareholders2
41
42
65
(2)%
Adj. Net Earnings2, $/sh
0.17
0.17
0.26
—%
EBITDA2
156
70
169
+123%
Adj. EBITDA2
213
292
240
(27)%
SHAREHOLDER RETURNS2
Shareholder dividends paid
100
—
100
n.a.
Share buybacks
13
26
11
(50)%
ORGANIC GROWTH
Growth capital spend2
99
155
72
(36)%
Exploration spend
25
23
21
+9%
FINANCIAL POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
Net Debt2
831
555
50
+50%
Net Debt / LTM Trailing adj. EBITDA4
0.80x
0.50x
0.04x
+60%
1 Continuing Operations excludes the non-core Boungou and Wahgnion mines which were divested on 30 June 2023. 2This is a non-GAAP measure, refer to the non-GAAP Measures section for further details. 3Realised gold prices are inclusive of the Sabodala-Massawa stream and the realised gains/losses from the Group's revenue protection programme. 4Last Twelve Months ("LTM") Trailing EBITDA adj includes EBITDA generated by discontinued operations.
Management will host a conference call and webcast today, 2 May 2024, at 8:30 am EST / 1:30 pm BST. For instructions on how to participate, please refer to the conference call and webcast section at the end of the news release. A copy of the Management Report and Financial Statements have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will be filed on SEDAR+. The documents will shortly be available for inspection on the Company's website and at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.
Ian Cockerill, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Following my first quarter as Chief Executive Officer at Endeavour, I am pleased that we have continued to make progress against our strategic objectives.
Our operational performance is tracking in line with our Group guidance, as production and costs are expected to progressively improve throughout the year, with performance strongly weighted towards the second half, as our two organic growth projects ramp up, and we expect significantly stronger performance from our Houndé mine.
We were delighted to have achieved first gold at the Sabodala-Massawa Expansion project on 18 April, and at our second growth project, Lafigué, we have now started dry commissioning and are on track to deliver first gold in late Q2, a quarter ahead of schedule. Lafigué will be the fifth growth project that we have completed over the last 10 years, all of which have been built on budget and on schedule in two years or less. As we transition out of this phase of growth, we will renew our focus on optimising our existing assets and continue developing our talented projects team, ahead of the next phase of growth.
Exploration at the Assafou deposit on the Tanda-Iguela property continues to demonstrate the project's potential to become another cornerstone asset for Endeavour. The aggressive drilling program has further extended the mineralised trend at the Assafou deposit by over 400 metres, while drilling at potential satellite targets, in close proximity to Assafou, has also yielded promising results.
During the quarter we paid our H2-2023 dividend of $100 million to shareholders and completed $13 million worth of share buybacks. Since our first dividend payment in Q1-2021, we have now returned $917 million to shareholders, equivalent to $211 for every ounce produced over the same period, demonstrating our commitment to paying supplemental returns. We have now finished our first shareholder returns programme, and expect to outline the next phase of the programme early in H2.
Despite investing over $235 million in organic growth, exploration and shareholder returns during the quarter, our leverage remains healthy at 0.80x net debt to adjusted EBITDA, and we are well positioned to quickly de-lever our balance sheet and increase our commitment to shareholder returns, to reflect our transition from a phase of growth to one focused on cash flow generation.
We look forward to advancing our strategy this year to further strengthen our business and benefit all our stakeholders."
OPERATING SUMMARY
Strong safety performance for the Group, with a Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate ("LTIFR") from continuing operations of 0.11 for the trailing twelve months ending 31 March 2024.
As previously disclosed, on 28 February 2024, we were saddened to report that a contractor colleague passed away on 27 February 2024, as a result of injuries sustained in an incident that occurred during maintenance activities at the Mana mine in Burkina Faso. The health, safety and welfare of our colleagues remain our top priority and we are focussed on improvements to contractor management, front-line supervision and reviewing operational procedures.
The Group remains on track to achieve its FY-2024 production guidance of 1,130 – 1,270koz at an AISC within the $955 – 1,035/oz range, with performance strongly weighted towards H2-2024, as previously guided.
Q1-2024 production from continuing operations amounted to 219koz, a decrease of 61koz over Q4-2023, due to lower production at Houndé and Sabodala-Massawa, which was partially offset by higher production at Ity and Mana. Production decreased at Houndé as lower grade ore from the Kari West pit was mined and processed while waste stripping focused on the higher-grade Kari Pump and Vindaloo Main pits in order to access higher grade ore in H2-2024 in line with the mine sequence. In addition, mining and processing activities were temporarily stopped for 11-days due to the previously disclosed sub-contractor led strike. At Sabodala-Massawa, lower tonnage of high grade ore was sourced from the Sabodala pit as the pit approaches the end of its economic mine life. Production increased at Ity, in-line with the mine sequence due to higher grade ore from the Ity pit in the mill feed, and at Mana, as underground mining ramped up to deliver increased underground ore tonnage to the mill.
Q1-2024 AISC from continuing operations amounted to $1,186/oz, an increase of $239/oz over Q4-2023 due largely to lower volumes of gold sold at Houndé and Sabodala-Massawa, in addition to higher processing costs at Houndé, Sabodala-Massawa and Ity as a result of increased power costs, a harder ore blend and commissioning costs associated with the Recyn optimisation initiative, respectively. The increases were partially offset by a decrease at Mana due to higher gold volumes sold and decreased unit rates as underground development activities continued to ramp-up.
Table 2: Group Production
THREE MONTHS ENDED
All amounts in koz, on a 100% basis
31 March2024
31 December2023
31 March2023
Houndé
42
84
47
Ity
86
74
91
Mana
42
37
44
Sabodala-Massawa
49
85
61
PRODUCTION FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
219
280
243
Boungou1
—
—
19
Wahgnion1
—
—
39
GROUP PRODUCTION
219
280
301
1The Boungou and Wahgnion mines were divested on 30 June 2023.
Table 3: Group All-In Sustaining Costs
All amounts in US$/oz
THREE MONTHS ENDED
31 March2024
31 December2023
31 March2023
Houndé
1,572
901
1,154
Ity
884
865
732
Mana
1,453
1,482
1,130
Sabodala-Massawa
947
700
787
Corporate G&A
49
41
56
AISC FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
1,186
947
955
Boungou1
—
—
1,252
Wahgnion1
—
—
1,354
GROUP AISC2
1,186
947
1,022
1The Boungou and Wahgnion mines were divested on 30 June 2023. 2This is a non-GAAP measure, refer to the non-GAAP Measures section for further details
Sustaining capital expenditure outlook for FY-2024 remains unchanged at $125.0 million, of which $29.7 million was incurred in Q1-2024 primarily related to ongoing waste development activities at Houndé, Sabodala-Massawa and Ity, as well as underground development at Mana.
Non-sustaining capital expenditure outlook for FY-2024 remains unchanged at $190.0 million, of which $41.3 million was incurred in Q1-2024 primarily related to Solar Power plant construction at Sabodala-Massawa, TSF construction and embankment raises at Houndé, Ity and Mana, pre-stripping activities at the Walter and Bakatouo pits and the ongoing Mineral Sizer optimisation initiative at Ity.
Growth capital expenditure outlook for FY-2024 remains unchanged at $245.0 million, of which $98.7 million was incurred in Q1-2024 primarily related to construction activities at the BIOX® expansion project in Senegal ($39.8 million incurred in Q1-2024), the Lafigué development project in Cote d'Ivoire ($56.7 million incurred in Q1-2024) and additional spend related to the Kalana project.
SHAREHOLDER RETURNS PROGRAMME
Endeavour implemented a dividend policy in 2021, with the goal of supplementing its minimum dividend commitment with additional dividends and share buybacks provided that the prevailing gold price remained above $1,500/oz and its leverage remained below 0.5x Net Debt / adj EBITDA.
Endeavour's goal is to increase its shareholder returns programme once its organic growth projects are completed, while strengthening its balance sheet, thereby ensuring that its efforts to unlock growth immediately benefit all stakeholders. The updated dividend framework for the next phase of Endeavour's shareholder returns policy is expected to be announced in early H2-2024.
As previously announced, the FY-2023 dividend amounted to $200.0 million, which represents $25.0 million or 14% more than the minimum dividend commitment of $175.0 million for the year, reiterating Endeavour's commitment to paying supplemental shareholder returns. The H2-2023 dividend of $100.0 million, or $0.41 per share, was paid on 25 March 2024 to shareholders of record on 23 February 2024.
During Q1-2024, shareholder returns continued to be supplemented with share buybacks with $12.6 million or 0.7 million shares repurchased during the period. Since the commencement of the buyback program, $316.1 million or 14.4 million shares have been repurchased as at 31 March 2024.
Since the first shareholder returns payment in Q1-2021, the Company has now returned $916.5 million to shareholders including $600.4 million of dividends and $316.1 million of share buybacks; equivalent to returning $211 per ounce of gold produced from all operations over the same period.
CASH FLOW SUMMARY
The table below presents the cash flow and net debt position for Endeavour for the three month period ended 31 March 2024, 31 December 2023, and 31 March 2023, with accompanying explanations below.
Table 4: Cash Flow and Net Debt
THREE MONTHS ENDED
All amounts in US$ million unless otherwise specified
Notes
31 March2024
31 December2023
31 March2023
Net cash from/(used in), as per cash flow statement:
Operating cash flows before changes in working capital1
137
246
219
Changes in working capital1
(82)
(80)
(28)
Cash generated from discontinued operations
—
—
15
Cash generated from operating activities
[1]
55
167
206
Cash used in investing activities
[2]
(188)
(211)
(200)
Cash generated/(used) in financing activities
[3]
88
(79)
(156)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
(12)
15
9
DECREASE IN CASH
(56)
(108)
(141)
Cash and cash equivalent position at beginning of period
517
625
951
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENT POSITION AT END OF PERIOD
[4]
461
517
810
Principal amount of $500m Senior Notes
500
500
500
Drawn portion of Lafigué Term Loan
147
107
—
Drawn portion of $645m Revolving Credit Facility
645
465
360
NET DEBT2
[5]
831
555
50
Trailing twelve month adjusted EBITDA2,3
1,034