Topic: How To Invest

Hello Pat: Could you please offer your opinion on First Quantum Minerals? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

First Quantum Minerals, $20.88, symbol FM on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 476.3 million; Market cap: $9.9 billion; www.first-quantum.com), is a mining and metals company listed in Toronto and London. It has three operating mines: Kansanshi (80% owned) in Zambia, Guelb Moghrein (100% owned) in Mauritania, and Ravensthorpe (100% owned) in Australia. First Quantum also has four development projects: Kevitsa (Finland), Sentinel (Zambia), Haquira (Peru) and Enterprise (Zambia). The company’s production for 2012 is forecast at 270,000 to 290,000 tonnes of copper, 170,000 to 190,000 ounces of gold and 36,000 to 40,000 tonnes of nickel. The shares dropped from over $23 since early March to as low as $18 at the end of the month. That’s because the reserve update from the company’s Sentinel copper project in Zambia came in with copper grades roughly 20% below expectations. Even so, the deposit could still support a mine. The company’s shares have since rebounded on reports that it could become a takeover candidate for a global mining giant…