AUQ attracts a takeover

Article Excerpt

AURICO GOLD $4.15 (Toronto symbol AUQ; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (604-681-2802; www.auricogold.com; Shares outstanding: 250.0 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%) has agreed to merge with Alamos Gold (symbol AGI on Toronto). AuRico owns the Young- Davidson mine in northern Ontario, which holds as much as 5.6 million ounces of gold. The mine started up in 2013 and will reach full production in 2016. But meanwhile, it’s moving from open pit to underground mining, which will sharply increase its costs. Alamos owns the Mulatos mine in Mexico, but its main asset is its $358.0 million cash holding. The combined entity, called Alamos Gold, will use that cash to fund Young-Davidson, and boost the company’s gold output from 400,000 ounces this year to 700,000 in 2018. Shareholders of AuRico and Alamos will each own 50% of the new firm. AuRico may still attract competing bids from majors, like Goldcorp or Agnico Eagle, interested in the attractive but underfinanced Young-Davidson mine. …