Liberum puts Centamin rating on hold after dividend uncertainty17 Mar 2023 05:03
Liberum has suspended coverage of gold miner Centamin (CEY) as the dividend outlook appears shaky.
Analyst Yuen Low placed his ‘buy’ recommendation and target price of 119p ‘under review’ after the group cut its full year dividend by 44% despite maintaining output guidance. The shares softened 5.2%, or 5.6p, to 101.5p on Thursday.
Low said full-year 2022 production was 1% lower than the previous year, while earnings were in line and net profit slightly ahead by 4%. However, earnings per share were down 56%, leading to the steep cut in the dividend.
‘The balance sheet remains very strong, and the final divi was in-line,’ said Low. ‘However, unlike in 2021 and 2022, there does not appear to be a committed minimum dividend for 2023. We temporarily suspend our rating and target price while we review our post-full-year 2022 forecasts