Well-timed new mines a plus for these two

Article Excerpt

NORTHGATE MINERALS CORP. $3.08 (Toronto symbol NGX; SI Rating: Speculative) (604-681-4004; www.northgateminerals.ca; Shares outstanding: 291.1 million; Market cap: $896.5 million; No dividends paid) is focused on building a mine at its Young-Davidson gold property in northern Ontario. The $339-million open-pit/underground mine is now under construction, and is scheduled to start up in 2012. It is expected to produce 180,000 ounces of gold per year for the first two years of its expected 15-year life. Its production would then rise to 190,000 ounces. Northgate also owns the Kemess South open-pit gold/copper mine in north-central B.C. However, it expects to exhaust this mine’s reserves in 2011. To replace Kemess South, Northgate paid $257 million U.S. for Australian gold miner Perseverance Corp. in 2008. Perseverance produces roughly 225,000 ounces of gold a year from two mines, both of which are in Australia. Northgate aims to keep raising this total, while cutting costs at Perseverance’s mines. In the three months ended September 30, 2010, Northgate’s revenue fell…