By Christian Moess Laursen
Glencore reiterated full-year production targets after reporting its strongest operational quarter this year, while also maintaining an earnings outlook for its marketing division of up to $3.5 billion.
The world's largest mining company by revenue said Wednesday that it produced 242,600 metric tons of copper in the third quarter, a 2% fall compared with the same period last year, but an 8.8% increase against the second quarter.
The steelmaking-coal division received an expected boost from the integration of Elk Valley Resources, which the Anglo-Swiss company bought in July. Quarterly output rose to 7.7 million tons from 1.5 million tons a year prior.
In August, the company scrapped a plan to spin off its coal business--a bet driven by an anticipation of high demand for the fossil fuel despite global efforts to curb carbon emissions.
Glencore said then it expects the highly cash-generative business to support growth investments in its copper portfolio and help boost shareholder returns.
Third-quarter thermal coal production rose 18% from the second-quarter, while zinc output increased 7%.
The strong quarterly performance led the mining giant to stick to its full-year guidance across its portfolio. It expects to produce between 950,000 and 1.01 million tons of copper and 19 million to 21 million tons of steelmaking coal. Those two assets are expected to contribute nearly half of Glencore's earnings next year, according to analysts.
It also kept its guidance for adjusted earnings before interest and tax from its marketing arm of between $3.0 billion and $3.5 billion. The division booked $3.5 billion for 2023, a 43% drop from 2022 after coal prices retreated from the record highs that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
For the first nine months of the year, copper and zinc production both fell 4% on year, while thermal coal declined 7%. Steelmaking coal more than doubled.
Glencore's shares underperformed the European industrial-metals sector by around 7% through the quarter given its portfolio is less exposed to a rebound of the Chinese property market. Most of Glencore's peers saw their shares jump following China's economic stimulus announcement last month.
In morning trading in London, shares rose more than 2%, narrowing the year-to-date loss to around 12%.
Write to Christian Moess Laursen at christian.moess@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 30, 2024 05:03 ET (09:03 GMT)
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