RE: Loan repayments schedule and liquidity23 Oct 2024 11:44
$2,750 gold price
22 Oct 2024 18:14
At the beginning of Q3 the gold price was $2,315/oz and by the end of the quarter had risen to around $2,675/oz.
During Q3 Hummingbird will have sold mostly at hedged prices, the average price per ounce will probably be around $2,250/oz as a result.
The company announced they have just 34koz hedges remaining at $2,230/oz spread over the next 6 months now. Roughly 17koz this quarter and in Q1 next year. Company forecasted production this quarter is a minimum of 42koz last we heard going by lower end guidance.
With production increasing from around a 30koz level in Q3 following the end of the rainy season, and continuing ramp up at Kouroussa this will mean a greater portion of production is exposed to the current gold price of $2,750/oz.
Of the expected 40koz Q4 group production less than half of sold ounces would be affected by remaining hedge prices of $2,230/oz with the majority sold around $2,700/oz (the price has continued rising since first making notes to $2,750 today).
This quarter they should receive a minimum average realised gold price of $2,450/oz which is likely $200/oz higher than the Q3 average.
With increasing production this quarter it will inevitably lead to lower costs across both mines, particularly so at low cost Kouroussa which is expected to run at $1,000/oz AISC once at a 10koz monthly run rate. It was already at 4.8koz in the month of July following Corrica’s return to site at the end of May.
To achieve 42koz minimum group production this quarter it would likely require an average monthly run rate at Kouroussa of 8koz. If Hummingbird can achieve anywhere near that level this quarter they will be generating at least $25 million after AISC.