Shares of gold miner EVOLUTION FPO (ASX: EVN) have enjoyed a remarkable run in the aftermath of Friday's Brexit vote, and that trend has only continued today.
At the time of writing, the shares were trading 4.3% higher at $2.65, although they did hit a higher of $2.68 earlier. That compares to a price tag of $2.19 on Thursday (immediately prior to the Brexit decision) and a price of just $1.39 at the beginning of 2016.
Other gold shares such as Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) have also risen strongly in recent days, while the broader S&P/ASX All Ords Gold (Index: ^AXGD) (ASX: XGD) has rallied more than 13% since Thursday.
The growing uncertainty over the global outlook has played a key role in pushing Evolution Mining's share price higher in recent days. However, the company also released its preliminary results for financial year 2016 today together with guidance for the coming year.
It said it expects to achieve record gold production of approximately 213,000 ounces in the current (June) quarter at an average all-in sustaining cost of A$1,075 per ounce. Gold production for the entire year is estimated to have been 800,000 ounces at an AISC of A$1,000 per ounce, which is well below the current gold price equivalent of roughly A$1,801 an ounce (based on a gold spot rate of US$1,325.20 at the current currency exchange rate).
Meanwhile, it appears the miner has taken advantage of the recent rally in the gold price to boost its balance sheet position.
It said it expects to have a cash balance of $15 million at 30 June 2016, while also repaying a total of $115 million of debt during the current quarter. Group debt will have been reduced to $285 million after repaying $322 million in the 10 months since September 2015.
In yet another sign of confidence, the company said it had changed its dividend policy by doubling the payout to 4% of revenue, effective immediately. It expects to produce between 800,000 and 860,000 ounces of gold in the coming financial year, with group AISC to be in the range of A$985 to A$1,045 an ounce.
For investors looking for exposure to the gold sector, Evolution Mining could be a good bet – particularly if the gold price continues to rise and the Australian dollar continues to fall. However, investors do need to be aware that when the recent bout of volatility subsides, the gold price could also retreat which would be a bad thing for the sector as a whole.
