AngloGold Ashanti, the world’s number three and top African gold producer, reported a fourth-quarter adjusted headline loss per share of 5 US cents on Monday, missing market expectations.
AngloGold chief executive officer Mark Cutifani said during a media teleconference that the group had beat production forecasts as struggling mines improved, and that it continued to scout around for acquisition opportunities globally.
The company was also chipping away at its hedge book, one of the biggest among its peers globally, he said.
”We are carefully and patiently looking to see good opportunities out there. We are patient and looking carefully right across the globe in Africa, Australasia and North America. We’re having a bit of a sniff around”.
AngloGold said gold production in the three months to end-December was 1,268-million ounces, up from the previous quarter while total cash costs at $422 an ounce showed a 13% improvement on the previous quarter.
An average of estimates by five analysts found AngloGold would post adjusted headline earnings per share of 25 US cents in its fourth quarter to end-December, versus an adjusted loss of 275 cents in the September quarter.
AngloGold shares rose 1,72% to R266 by 7.07am GMT, outperforming the JSE Securities Exchange’s blue-chip Top-40 index.
AngloGold said its Q4 adjusted headline loss was $17-million, adding the figure was distorted by annual accounting adjustments of $48-million related to current and deferred tax provisions and inventory write-downs.
He said the company was trying to further trim its hedgebook, and was using $900 as its view on gold for that. The forward sales have been seen as a big drag for the company, as they bar it from profiting when the spot price of gold rises.
”We plan to continue to chip away on the hedge book and at this stage we have no big plans,” he said.
Gold slipped on Monday as traders took profits from the rally to a nearly four-month high, but the key $900 an ounce level held firm as traders awaited news on the massive US economic stimulus package.
Gold fell $7,1 or 0,9% to $904,60 an ounce, off the $930,40 peak touched on January 30, the highest since mid-October.
On asset sales, Cutifani said the company was trimming at the edges, but had no further big plans after selling its 33,33% stake in the Boddington gold mine project in Australia to bigger rival Newmont Mining Corp for up to $1,1-billion.
Cutifani said the group, which has about 21 operations across four continents, expects to produce up to five million ounces this year, slightly less than previously forecast after selling Boddington.
Total cash costs would be around $435 to $450 this year. – Reuters