The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, July 18, edition that National Bank Financial analyst Mike Parkin has reaffirmed his "outperform" recommendation for Kinross Gold. The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Parkin gave his share target a $2.25 boost to $16. Analysts on average target the shares at $13.66. Mr. Parkin says a "material" increase in gold and silver prices is likely to translate to higher free cash flow and "trending balance sheet improvements" for Canadian precious metals companies in the second quarter. Kinross Gold is National Bank's top pick among senior producers. Mr. Parkin says in a note: "Kinross maintains significant opportunities for growth within its North American portfolio, which will help improve its geopolitical risk profile. This includes the Great Bear project (Ontario), Manh Choh (Alaska), which recently poured its first gold bar, Curlew basin (Washington State) and the Round Mountain under ground project (Nevada). Kinross also exhibits above-average leverage in a supportive environment for the commodity, with our NAV showing about a 2.8:1 sensitivity to the gold price. ... We see Kinross well positioned to generate significant FCF."