LaRonde, Meliadine lead Agnico Eagle to record quarterly gold output

Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX: AEM; NYSE: AEM) has reported third quarter net income of US$114.5 million and a dividend of US$0.47 per share. This represented a drop of about half from the third quarter of 2020 when net income was US$222.7 million.

The company said the quarterly decrease was due primarily to lower operating margins, unrealized losses for non-cash items, and higher amortization of property.

For the first nine months of 2021, Agnico reported net income of US$440.2 million, or US$1.81 per share, compared to US$306.4 million in 2020.

Gold production during the third quarter 2021 reached record levels at 541,663 oz. at all-in sustaining costs per ounce of US$1,011. This includes 17,947 oz. from the recently acquired Hope Bay mine in Nunavut.

Quarterly production from the mines in the Abitibi region – LaRonde, Goldex and 50% of Canadian Malartic – totaled 222,373 oz. of gold. In Nunavut, the Mediadine mine has a record quarter producing 97,024 oz, including pre-commercial production of 6,881 oz. from the new Tiriganiaq open pit.

The 1.53 million oz. of gold produced in the first nine months of this year was also a record.

Agnico confirmed that guidance for 2021 remains unchanged at approximately 2.05 million oz. with all-in sustaining costs of US$950 to US$1,000 per ounce. Capital expenditures for the year are also unchanged at US$803.0 million.

For Agnico’s global mines, the measured and indicated resources (as of Dec. 31, 2020) were 341.4 million tonnes grading 1.4 g/t gold for 15.3 million contained oz., and the inferred resource was 283 million tonnes grading 2.57 g/t gold for 23.4 million contained oz. Proven and probable reserves total 15.2 million tonnes grading 0.76 g/t gold for 115.5 million contained oz.

Additional financial and operational details are available at www.AgnicoEagle.com.