Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.
WPM
reported adjusted EPS of 35 cents in first-quarter 2022, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 34 cents. The bottom line declined 2.2% year over year.
The company generated revenues of $307 million during the reported quarter, down 5% on a year-over-year basis. The downside was caused by a 4% decline in the number of Gold Equivalent Ounces sold. The top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $311 million.
Wheaton’s gold production was 79,087 ounces, up from the prior-year quarter’s 78,529 ounces. Attributable silver production declined 8.3% year over year to 6,206 ounces and palladium production declined 22% to 4,488 ounces. The company sold 166,065 GEOs during the March-end quarter, down 4% from the prior-year quarter’s 172,271 GEOs.
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart
|
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Quote
Prices
In first-quarter 2022, the average realized gold price was $1,870 per ounce. The figure was 4% higher than the year-ago quarter’s figure. Silver prices averaged $24.19 per ounce in the reported quarter, down 7.4% year on year. Palladium prices fell 2.2% year over year to $2,339 per ounce.
Financial Position
The company had $376 million of cash in hand at the end of first-quarter 2022 compared with $226 million at the 2021-end. It recorded an operating cash flow of $211 million in the first quarter compared with $232 million in the year-ago quarter. The company fully paid a revolving credit facility of $2 billion.
During the first quarter, the company announced a quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share, reflecting an increase of 7% from the year-ago quarter’s levels.
Business Update
On Jan 17, 2022, Wheaton entered into a new precious metals purchase agreement (PMPA) with Adventus Mining Corporation to acquire gold and silver production from the Curipamba Project. On Jan 26, the company entered into a PMPA with Generation Mining Limited to acquire gold and platinum streams from the Marathon Project.
On Feb 8, Wheaton entered into a PMPA with Sabina Gold & Silver Corp to acquire a gold production stream from the Goose Project.
On Mar 21, Wheaton entered into another PMPA with Aris Gold Corporation to acquire gold and silver streams from the Marmato mines. These new streams have brought immediate production, as well as medium and longer-term growth to its robust portfolio of assets.
Guidance
Wheaton’s attributable production is estimated to be between 700,000 GEOs and 760,000 GEOs for the current year. Gold production is expected in the band of 350,000-380,000 ounces. Silver production is projected between 23.0 million ounces and 25.0 million ounces, while production of other metals is anticipated in the band of 44,000-48,000 GEOs. This guidance is unchanged from the previously-stated guidance.
Price Performance
Shares of Wheaton have gained 1.3% in the past year against the
industry
’s loss of 9.4%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Wheaton currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks worth considering in the basic materials space include
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
STLD
,
AdvanSix Inc.
ASIX
and
Commercial Metals Company
CMC
. All of these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #1. You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Steel Dynamics has an expected earnings growth rate of 18.5% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STLD’s current-year earnings has been revised upward by 32.5% in the past 60 days.
Steel Dynamics beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 2.5%. STLD has rallied around 45% in a year.
AdvanSix has an expected earnings growth rate of 63.4% for the current year. ASIX’s consensus mark for current-year earnings has moved upward by 31.9% in the past 60 days.
AdvanSix beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 23.6%. ASIX has surged around 53% in a year.
Commercial Metals has a projected earnings growth rate of 78.2% for the current fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMC’s current fiscal year earnings has been revised upward by 31.9% in the past 60 days.
Commercial Metals beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 16%. CMC has appreciated around 31% in a year.
Just Released: Zacks’ 7 Best Stocks for Today
Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +25.4% per year.
These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout.
See these time-sensitive tickers now >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report
