Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Anglo American slashes dividend after earnings dive

Published 28/07/2022, 05:51 pm
Updated 28/07/2022, 05:58 pm
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from the Duvha coal-based power station owned by state power utility Eskom, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, 18 February, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from the Duvha coal-based power station owned by state power utility Eskom, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, 18 February, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/

By Clara Denina and Helen Reid

LONDON (Reuters) -Global miner Anglo American (LON:AAL) slashed payouts to shareholders after first-half earnings fell 28% due to lower production and higher costs.

Anglo joins rival miners including Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) and Freeport-McMoRan in reporting a profit slump, partly blaming a tight labour market, supply chain snags and inflation.

Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell to $8.7 billion for the six months to June, down from $12.1 billion a year before but beating an average forecast of $8.56 billion from 10 analysts compiled by research firm Vuma.

This was still the company's second-highest first-half profit ever, after a record 2021, chief executive Ducan Wanblad said, forecasting higher production in the second half helping control unit costs.

Shares in the miner were up 3.5% in London - because the results beat estimates, analysts said.

Anglo declared an interim dividend of $1.24 per share, down 27% from last year's $1.71 interim payout. For all of 2021, Anglo paid out a record $6.2 billion, including a $1 billion share buyback.

Capital expenditure increased 13% from a year earlier, to $2.6 billion, which Anglo attributed to spending normalising after deferrals due to the pandemic.

Net debt was $4.85 billion on June 30, compared with $1.63 billion a year earlier.

Higher inflation has hurt Anglo and its rivals and it is likely to push up costs in the next few months.

"We are not immune from it. We are seeing inflation impacts across the various regions that we operate and it's come through a little more strongly than we originally anticipated at the start of the year," finance director Stephen Pearce told a media briefing after the results.

"Anglo had a tough H1 but operations are recovering and the shares have underperformed," RBC Capital Markets' Tyler Broda said.

"Expectations were very low heading into today's result and although we would imagine consensus earnings will likely move lower following the miss, no change to guidance should be taken positively."

The London-listed miner reported a 17% fall in first-half copper output on lower grades and short water supply in Chile. Production of nickel, iron ore, platinum group metals and coal was also down.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from the Duvha coal-based power station owned by state power utility Eskom, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, 18 February, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/

With Russian diamonds off-limits due to sanctions against top global producer Alrosa, demand for gems from non-conflict zones has risen, benefitting Anglo diamond unit De Beers.

A 58% rise in average diamond prices helped De Beers to a profit of $944 million, up 55%.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.