Barrick lets you tap gold’s bright outlook

Article Excerpt

Barrick has moved up recently—along with gold prices. The gains were likely spurred by the growing belief among investors that interest-rate increases have started to slow as inflation eases. That should push up investor demand for gold as the appeal of interest-bearing investment and the U.S. dollar weakens. Either way, we think top-quality gold stocks like Barrick remain buys because their prospects for higher production and cash flow—regardless of gold prices or inflation—remain intact. Barrick is a Power Buy. BARRICK GOLD, $24.85, is a buy. The miner (Toronto symbol ABX; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (www.barrick.com; Shares o/s: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $44.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) is the second-largest gold producer in the world after Newmont Corp. (symbol NEM on New York). Barrick produced 988,000 ounces of gold in the quarter ended September 30, 2022. That was down 9.5% from 1.09 million ounces a year earlier as it shifted into lower-grade ore zones at some mines. Revenue fell 10.6%, to $2.53 billion from $2.83 billion. Per-share earnings fell 45.8%,…