Mr. Nolan Watson reports
SANDSTORM GOLD ANNOUNCES FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR Q1, 2014
Sandstorm Gold Ltd. is releasing its unaudited
results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014 (all figures in U.S.
dollars).
First quarter highlights:
- Strong balance sheet with over $110-million in cash;
- Revenue of $15.3-million;
- Attributable gold equivalent ounces sold of 11,966 ounces, which includes 1,849 of attributable gold ounces from
the company's portfolio of royalties;
- Average cash cost per ounce of $355, resulting in cash operating margins of $923 per ounce;
- Operating cash flow of $9.2-million (excluding changes in non-cash
working capital);
- Net income of $3.8-million;
- Exercised option to purchase an amount equal to 20 per cent of the gold produced
from the Santa Elena underground mine; in consideration and as
complemented in the original purchase agreement, Sandstorm agreed to
make an upfront payment of $10-million, which represents approximately
20 per cent of the upfront capital expenditures relating to gold production, and
will continue to make continuing per-ounce payments equal to $350 until
50,000 ounces of gold have been delivered to Sandstorm (inclusive of
ounces already received from open-pit production), at which time the
continuing per-ounce payments will increase to $450.
Sandstorm's president and chief executive officer, Nolan Watson, commented, "Most of the
mines underlying Sandstorm's gold streams are in production and ramping
up, which has helped to offset the effects of the current gold price
environment that we find ourselves in." Mr. Watson continued, "We expect to
see consistent production over the next few quarters, and, as we continue
to add to our cash balance, our focus is to put that cash to use by
acquiring new streams and royalties."
Financial results
Revenue and gold sales
Revenue was $15.3-million in the first quarter of 2014, generated from
the sale of 11,966 attributable gold equivalent ounces. Revenue
declined slightly compared with the comparable period in 2013, largely
due to a 22-per-cent decrease in the average realized selling price of gold,
which was partially offset by a 27-per-cent increase in the number of
attributable gold equivalent ounces sold.
Costs and expenses
The average cash cost per attributable ounce was $355 during the period,
resulting in a cash operating margin of $923 per ounce. Compared with the
first quarter of 2013, the cash operating margin decreased by 26 per cent,
driven by a lower average realized gold price. The company is on track
to meet its cost reduction commitments, decreasing administrative
expenses by $1.1-million and project evaluation by $400,000, compared with the comparable period in 2013.
Earnings and operating cash flow
For the three months ended March 31, 2014, net income and cash flow from
operations were $3.8-million and $9.2-million (excluding changes in
non-cash working capital), respectively, compared with a net loss and
cash flow from operations of $17.6-million and $9.0-million (excluding
changes in non-cash working capital) for the comparable period in 2013.
Balance sheet
Total assets increased by $20.6-million from Dec. 31, 2013, to March
31, 2014, primarily resulting from operating cash flows and the
exercise of warrants, which were partially offset by depletion expense.
At the end of the first quarter, the company had $111-million in cash
and cash equivalents, and working capital of $112.8-million. In
addition, the company has $100.0-million in available capital under its
revolving bank debt facility.
Streams and royalties
Attributable gold equivalent ounces sold were 11,966 in the quarter, an
increase of 27 per cent from the comparable period in 2013. The increase is
largely attributable to increased production from Luna Gold Corp.'s
Aurizona mine in Brazil and Metanor Resources
Inc.'s Bachelor Lake mine in Quebec,
partially offset by a decrease in production from Primero Mining
Corp.'s Black Fox mine in Ontario.
Aurizona mine
Sandstorm sold close to 4,000 ounces of attributable gold from Aurizona
during the quarter, representing a 23-per-cent increase from the first quarter
of 2013. The increase is largely related to Luna's continued ramp up of
operations and progress toward the phase 1 expansion. Luna is well
capitalized as it closed a $20-million equity financing in February,
2014, has $4.2-million in committed capital coming from Sandstorm for
the phase 1 expansion project and, subsequent to the end of the first
quarter, Sandstorm advanced a $10-million loan to Luna as part of a
previously announced $20-million loan commitment ($10-million was
advanced in 2013).
Bachelor Lake mine
Compared with the first quarter of 2013, an additional 1,261 gold ounces
were sold from the Bachelor Lake mine. The increase is primarily
related to the mine recently reaching commercial production and the
continued ramp-up of operations. Metanor recently announced positive
results from its underground drilling campaign at Bachelor Lake. The
intention of the campaign is to increase the resources at the mine.
Black Fox mine
Attributable gold ounces sold from the Black Fox mine decreased by 35 per cent,
compared with the first quarter of 2013. The decline is primarily driven
from insufficient underground development, resulting in lower production
during the three months ended March 31, 2014. Primero, the new
owner/operator of the mine, recently announced that it intends on
spending over $40-million on capital projects and exploration
activities at Black Fox in 2014. The objective is to increase
underground production such that 120,000 ounces of gold are produced
annually from the mine. Primero also intends on achieving a mining and
processing target of approximately 1,000 tonnes of ore per day by the
end of 2014.
Outlook
Based on the existing gold streams and NSRs, attributable gold
equivalent production for 2014 is forecasted to be between 40,000 and
50,000 attributable gold equivalent ounces, increasing to approximately
60,000 attributable gold equivalent ounces per year by 2016. This
growth is largely driven by the company's portfolio of gold streams
with mines, most of which are either currently producing or expected to
commence production by 2015.
Webcast and conference call details
A conference call will be held on Friday, May 2, 2014, starting at 9 a.m.
PDT, to further discuss the first quarter results. To participate in the
conference call, use the following dial-in numbers:
Local/international: 647-788-4916
North American toll-free: 877-214-4966
It is recommended that participants dial in five minutes prior to the
commencement of the conference call. A webcast will also be available on the Sandstorm website.
Sandstorm's management discussion and analysis (MD&A), and financial
statements, for the quarter will be accessible on the company's
website and on SEDAR. The company has also completed a
Form 6-K filing with the SEC that will be accessible on EDGAR.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS)
(expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except per-share amounts)
Three months ended Three months ended
March 31, 2014 March 31, 2013
Sales $ 12,932 $ 14,031
Royalty revenue 2,363 1,333
15,295 15,364
Cost of sales, excluding depletion 4,249 3,667
Depletion 6,101 4,877
Total cost of sales 10,350 8,544
Gross profit 4,945 6,820
Expenses and other (income)
Administration expenses 1,849 2,945
Project evaluation 153 578
Foreign exchange (gain) loss (984) 194
Loss on revaluation of investments 89 883
Finance income (538) (298)
Finance expense 344 316
Other expenses - 221
Goodwill impairment - 19,897
Income (loss) before taxes 4,032 (17,916)
Income tax expense (recovery) 240 (295)
Net income (loss) for the period 3,792 (17,621)
Net income (loss) attributable to
Shareholders of Sandstorm Gold 3,792 (17,468)
Non-controlling interests - (153)
Net income (loss) for the period 3,792 (17,621)
Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.04 $ (0.19)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.03 $ (0.19)
We seek Safe Harbor.
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