RE: Interview19 Oct 2023 13:31
People now know that you have to take what he says in an interview with a pinch of salt.
If you watch the previous interview again, he must have known about the ongoing problems but chose not to mention them and instead set people up to expect good progress in the quarter. Today's RNS revealed:
A fall in production from Q1 (when a rise was expected)
A significant reduction in guidance for H2 production
A lower head grade than expected. The last time head grades were mentioned, a while ago, they said the problem would be resolved. Today we are now told to expect lower grades to continue for the rest of the financial year and additional capex will be required to try and rectify it.
It will be hard to achieve a recovery in the share price until the H2 results and full year accounts have been released and that's dependant on whether they show the company is starting to deliver on its promises. There is also the worry about whether BAT will need to continue selling when it receives the next tranche if shares in December