Shin Kong Wedbush Reiterates a ‘Buy’ Rating on Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM)

19 March 2010 Categories: general

Shin Kong Wedbush analyst says, “While there was an earnings miss and 2009 guidance was modestly reduced, the project development schedule remains on track. Our 2010 production forecast is essentially unchanged though we have increased our total cash cost estimate due to higher assumed site costs at both LaRonde and Goldex. We are upgrading our recommendation on Agnico shares to BUY from HOLD based on relative share price underperformance in little more than one week since our downgrade, and the company’s above-average leverage to gold price due to a high ratio of reserves/share.” Agnico-Eagle is an international growth company focused on gold, with operations in Canada and Finland and advanced-stage projects and opportunities in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.A. Our LaRonde mine in Quebec is Canada’s largest gold deposit in terms of reserves. The mine generates strong earnings and cash flows, and is an excellent foundation for Agnico-Eagle’s international expansion.

The company’s operating history includes more than 30 years of continuous gold production primarily from underground operations. Since its amalgamation in 1972, Agnico-Eagle has produced over 4.0 million ounces of gold. We are one of the lowest total cash cost producers in the North American gold mining industry.

Agnico-Eagle has traditionally sold all of its production at the spot price of gold, in keeping with a policy of not selling forward future gold production. This policy enables shareholders to participate fully in rising precious metal prices.

Agnico-Eagle is an international growth company focused on gold, with operations in Canada and Finland and advanced-stage projects and opportunities in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.A. Our LaRonde mine in Quebec is Canada’s largest gold deposit in terms of reserves. The mine generates strong earnings and cash flows, and is an excellent foundation for Agnico-Eagle’s international expansion.

The company’s operating history includes more than 30 years of continuous gold production primarily from underground operations. Since its amalgamation in 1972, Agnico-Eagle has produced over 4.0 million ounces of gold. We are one of the lowest total cash cost producers in the North American gold mining industry. Agnico-Eagle has traditionally sold all of its production at the spot price of gold, in keeping with a policy of not selling forward future gold production. This policy enables shareholders to participate fully in rising precious metal prices.

Our strategy is to build a multi-mine platform based upon our strong foundation in the Abitibi region of Quebec. We have created a dominant land position around the LaRonde mine, with numerous properties at different stages of development, running along Quebec’s gold-rich Cadillac-Bousquet belt. This foundation has long life gold reserves and generates good earnings and cash flows, enabling Agnico-Eagle to broaden its base within Canada and internationally. Gold production began in April 2008 at our Goldex mine near LaRonde. In Finland, our Kittila mine poured its first gold on January 14, 2009. The Lapa mine in northwestern Quebec began production in April 2009, and the Pinos Altos mine began pouring gold from its heap leach and milling operations in July 2009. The Meadowbank project in the Nunavut Territory in northern Canada is advancing towards initial gold production in 2010.  Agnico-Eagle is proud to have paid a cash dividend to its shareholders for 27 consecutive year