Newmont: still our top gold

Article Excerpt

NEWMONT MINING $42.18 (New York symbol NEM; Shares outstanding: 479.0 million; Market cap: $20.2 billion; SI Rating: Average) has completed the purchase of the 33.3% of the new Boddington gold mine, in western Australia, that it does not already own from AngloGold Ashanti. Newmont paid $1.1 billion. Newmont took advantage of rising gold prices earlier this year to sell $517.5 million in bonds and 34.5 million common shares for a total of $1.7 billion. The company will use the funds to pay for the Boddington acquisition, as well as to expand production at its other mines. Boddington will begin operating later this year, and will increase Newmont’s annual production by at least 10%. It should also immediately add to the Newmont’s earnings. Boddington’s reserves should last 20 years, so owning all of it enhances Newmont’s long-term prospects. Newmont Mining is a buy for aggressive investors. investors…