Our favourite gold

Article Excerpt

NEWMONT MINING $59.43 (New York symbol NEM; Shares outstanding: 488.2 million; Market cap: $29.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 2.4%; www.newmont.com) operates gold mines in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Indonesia and Ghana. The company’s worldwide diversification, plus its strong cash flow and balance sheet, make it our favourite gold stock for safety-conscious investors. In 2011, Newmont had record cash flow of $3.6 billion, or $7.27 a share, up 12.9% from $3.2 billion, or $6.46 a share, in 2010. The company holds cash of $1.8 billion, or $3.61 a share. Its long-term debt of $3.6 billion is a low 11.7% of market cap. Newmont’s outlook remains bright. Concerns over European sovereign debt should continue to spur gold prices. Copper prices should also rebound in 2012, because global consumption will probably exceed production. The stock trades at 11.1 times its forecast 2012 earnings of $5.35 a share, and 7.9 times estimated 2012 cash flow of $7.50 a share. The shares yield…