Endomines - Ramp-up phase ahead
EBITDA positive despite mining operation suspension
Endomines gold production amounted to 81.6kg in Q3. Production figures were aided by the high head grades of 3.9g/tonne. Revenue and EBITDA in Q3 were SEK 25.9m and 0.6m respectively. Mining operations at the Pampalo mine were suspended in mid-September, which along with the higher head grades contributed to a positive EBITDA, despite lower volumes. Gold production during 1-9/2018 was 303.5kg, with another 15kg produced in October and the total 2018 output expected to exceed 320kg.
Limited new information in the earnings release
Endomines’ third quarter earnings release contained limited new information regarding the Idaho projects. The start-up timetable of the Friday mine was updated, with production anticipated to start in December. Details on the progress of the exploration activities in the vicinity of Pampalo were given, noting some samples with anomalies warranting further evaluation. Endomines had earlier specified the expected cash costs of the Friday mine, estimated to be around USD 650-900 per oz following ramp-up. We have updated our estimates for the cash costs for Friday and expect levels of around 900 USD/oz during 2019 and a decrease to 700-800 USD/Oz levels towards later production phases.
BUY with a target price of SEK 7.2 (7.8)
Following our revised estimates, we lower our target price to SEK 7.2 (7.8) but retain our BUY rating. The gold price has hovered at around 1,200 USD/oz following declines in Q3 but has seen slight upward pressure following recent stock market uncertainty.