Teck shifts away from coal

Article Excerpt

TECK RESOURCES LTD. $68 remains a buy. The company (Toronto symbol TECK.B; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 517.5 million; Market cap: $35.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 0.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.teck.com) sold 5.9 million tonnes of metallurgical coal (a key ingredient in the making of steel) in the first quarter of 2024. That’s down 4.8% from 6.2 million tonnes in the year-earlier quarter. Despite the lower volumes, the average price improved 5.3%, to $297 U.S. per tonne from $282 U.S. The company recently sold 20% of its coal operations (called Elk Valley Resources) to Japanese steel maker Nippon Steel Corp., and a further 3% to South Korea’s POSCO. Switzerland-based mining company Glencore plc (Over-the-counter Pink Sheets symbol GLCNF) will buy the remaining 77% in the third quarter of 2024. In all, Teck will receive cash of $9.0 billion U.S. for 100% of Elk Valley. It will then focus on its copper and zinc operations, including its 60%-owned Quebrada Blanca copper…