Lower-Risk Gold Investing

Article Excerpt

NEWMONT MINING $39 (New York symbol NEM; SI Rating: Average) is one of the largest gold producers in the world with major operations in the United States, Canada, Peru, Australia, Indonesia and Ghana. It also produces other metals, including copper, silver and zinc. The company expects to produce around 7 million ounces of gold this year. Like most mining companies, Newmont is facing higher costs for labor, energy and materials. Commodity prices have eased lately, so these costs should stabilize in 2007. Newmont now trades at a reasonable (for a gold stock) 19.7 times the $1.98 a share it will probably earn in 2007, and at 12.6 times its forecasted cash flow of $3.10 a share. The $0.40 dividend yields 1.0%. Like most gold producers, Newmont Mining has moved down lately along with lower gold prices. Still, it’s a buy for aggressive investors who want to hedge against — or bet on — a rise in gold prices. prices…