Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What are your thoughts on Nevsun Resources? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Nevsun Resources, $3.72, symbol NSU on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 199.3 million; Market cap: $745.6 million; www.nevsun.com), owns 60% of the Bisha copper/zinc/gold mine in Eritrea. This stake is the company’s main asset. Bisha started up in February 2011. Nevsun used the gold it extracted from the deposit’s top layer to finance construction of the project’s second phase: copper mining below that level. The mine produced 112,000 ounces of gold in 2013, although the gold deposit ran out early in the year. Nevsun transitioned to copper mining in late 2013, with full production starting up in December. Bisha will produce 180 million to 200 million pounds of copper in 2014. The company’s revenue fell sharply in 2013, to $155.7 million from $566.0 million in 2012 (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). Cash flow per share fell to $0.38 from $1.79. The declines were due to the end of gold mining at Bisha. Operating in Eritrea entails considerable political risk for Nevsun—although that risk…