Deal puts Newmont on top

Article Excerpt

NEWMONT MINING $33.71 (New York symbol NEM; Shares outstanding: 532.7 million; Market cap: $18.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.7%; www.newmont.com) has agreed to a buy Vancouver-based Goldcorp Inc. (Toronto symbol G) for $9.1 billion. The new company—called Newmont Goldcorp—will produce up to 7 million ounces annually and be the world’s largest gold miner. Following the merger, Newmont investors will own 65% of the combined company with Goldcorp shareholders holding 35%. The Americas will account for 75% of its reserves, followed by Australia (15%) and Ghana (10%). The new company also plans to sell between $1.0 billion and $1.5 billion worth of its non-core assets. Eliminating overlapping operations should also cut $100 million in annual costs. Together, that will let Newmont Goldcorp maintain Newmont’s current annual dividend rate of $0.56 a share. It yields 1.7%. Newmont Mining is a buy, but only for investors who want to own a gold stock. stock. …