AngloGold Ashanti Q3 earnings fall on high costs
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South Africa's AngloGold Ashanti Ltd posted an expected 16.5 percent fall in adjusted third-quarter headline earnings on Friday as strong currencies and expensive oil pushed up costs.
AngloGold Ashanti, the world's second-biggest gold producer, said adjusted headline earnings for the three months to end September fell to 106 cents from 127 cents in the previous quarter.
This was just slightly under the average forecast of six analysts polled by Reuters of 109.3 cents for headline EPS, adjusted to exclude capital, non-trading items and un-realised derivatives. Their estimates were in a range of 73 to 126 cents.
AngloGold Ashanti, majority owned by diversified miner Anglo American, said gold production rose 9.0 percent to 1.628 million ounces, partly due to the full inclusion of output from its takeover in April of Ghana's Ashanti Goldfields.
The group, which is seeking to slash expenses, said total cash costs increased 5 percent to $272 per ounce.
The group previously forecast third-quarter production of 1.6 million ounces and cash costs of $263/oz for the quarter, based on a rand/dollar exchange rate of 6.59.
"The highest oil prices in many years, strengthening currencies in most of the countries where the company operated and contractor mining cost pressures all contributed (to higher costs)," the company said in a statement.
AngloGold Ashanti has the highest quality mines of the three biggest South African producers and has diversified most outside the country to reduce exposure to the volatile rand, with half of its output coming from foreign mines.
AngloGold also said it planned to keep reducing hedge positions in its own hedge book and that inherited from Ashanti.
"We continue to be very positive about the prospects for the gold price, and will continue to reduce the level of hedging in the combined AngloGold Ashanti hedge book," Chief Executive Bobby Godsell said in the statement.
AngloGold shares, which have shed nearly a quarter of their value this year, closed on Thursday at 225.50 rand.