Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong value characteristics for investors to consider today, August 9th:

360 DigiTech, Inc. QFIN: This digital consumer finance platform has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 8.1% over the last 60 days.

360 DigiTech, Inc. Price and Consensus

360 DigiTech, Inc. price-consensus-chart | 360 DigiTech, Inc. Quote

360 DigiTech has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 4.38, compared with 65.20 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A.

360 DigiTech, Inc. PE Ratio (TTM)

360 DigiTech, Inc. pe-ratio-ttm | 360 DigiTech, Inc. Quote

The Mosaic Company MOS: This producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients has a Zacks Rank #1, and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 38.9% over the last 60 days.

The Mosaic Company Price and Consensus

The Mosaic Company price-consensus-chart | The Mosaic Company Quote

Mosaic Co. has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 7.23, compared with 15.80 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A.

The Mosaic Company PE Ratio (TTM)

The Mosaic Company pe-ratio-ttm | The Mosaic Company Quote

Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. CNR: This designer, engineer, manufacturer, marketer, and installer of external building products has a Zacks Rank #1, and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 88.6% over the last 60 days.

Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. Price and Consensus

Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. Quote

Cornerstone Building Brands has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 6.95, compared with 16.80 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of B.

Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. PE Ratio (TTM)

Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. pe-ratio-ttm | Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. Quote

Hanmi Financial Corporation HAFC: This provider of business banking products and services has a Zacks Rank #1, and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 21.8% over the last 60 days.

Hanmi Financial Corporation Price and Consensus

Hanmi Financial Corporation price-consensus-chart | Hanmi Financial Corporation Quote

Hanmi Financial has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 7.98, compared with 12.90 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of B.

Hanmi Financial Corporation PE Ratio (TTM)

Hanmi Financial Corporation pe-ratio-ttm | Hanmi Financial Corporation Quote

See the full list of top ranked stocks here.

Learn more about the Value score and how it is calculated here.

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(Reuters) – An expert group reviewing the cause of a $1.4 billion cost overrun at a Mongolian mine run by Rio Tinto said it was caused by the miner's mismanagement, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing a report.

Costs to expand the Oyu Tolgoi mine, Rio's biggest copper growth project, have ballooned up to $6.75 billion from Rio's original budget of $5.3 billion in 2016, and this has led to a friction over funding with Turquoise Hill.

Turquoise Hill, in which Rio has a 50.8% stake, owns 66% of Oyu Tolgoi, one of the world's largest-known copper and gold deposits. The rest is held by the Mongolian government.

The report, which was commissioned by the owners of the copper project, said the cost overrun was not due to unfavorable rock conditions as blamed by the one of world's largest miner, the WSJ reported.

"This confidential report will be considered by the OT (Oyu Tolgoi) Board and Rio Tinto will engage with the OT Board as soon as we have had the opportunity to review the report in detail," Rio Tinto said in an emailed statement.

There was no evidence that the quality of the rock and general ground conditions were significantly different to that forecast by the miner's owners in 2016, according to the report.

The WSJ report said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and British regulators were looking into the matter.

Turquoise Hill Resources did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Priyanshi Mandhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

In this article, we discuss the 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to the 5 Best Lithium and Phosphate Stocks to Buy Now.

The global efforts towards decarbonization have accelerated in the past few years with the United States and China, two of the largest manufacturing countries in the world, incentivizing the production and sale of electric vehicles and clean energy equipment. Nearly all commercial battery-based energy solutions make use of lithium compounds. According to the US Geological Survey, more than 70% of the total lithium production in the world is geared towards batteries. Since the supply of the precious metal is finite, the prices of the resource have skyrocketed.

Some of the biggest names in the lithium business presently include Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), and NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO), among others. Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) chief Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world, said last month that the company, the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world, would be making a long-term shift to lithium-iron-phosphate cells for use in EVs and energy storage, affirming his bullish view on the lithium industry.

The move also addresses questions about the use of nickel in EV batteries that have led to fire-safety concerns. A shift to iron, as signaled by Musk, could hit Chinese battery firms since nickel-based batteries are mostly manufactured in China. The use of lithium in EV batteries, though, remains an area that both the US and China seem to agree on, at least for now. According to a report by credit rating agency Fitch, worldwide lithium production is expected to triple from 442,000 tonnes in 2020 to 1.5 million tonnes by 2030.

The dramatic shift towards electric vehicles in recent years has disrupted other sectors of the economy as well, including the finance world. The entire hedge fund industry is feeling the reverberations of the changing financial landscape. Its reputation has been tarnished in the last decade, during which its hedged returns couldn’t keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. On the other hand, Insider Monkey’s research was able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the S&P 500 ETFs by more than 124 percentage points since March 2017. Between March 2017 and July 2021 our monthly newsletter’s stock picks returned 186.1%, vs. 100.1% for the SPY. Our stock picks outperformed the market by more than 115 percentage points (see the details here). That’s why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. You can subscribe to our free newsletter on our homepage to receive our stories in your inbox.

Photo by Kumpan Electric on UnsplashOur Methodology

With this context in mind, here is our list of the 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. These were ranked keeping in mind analyst ratings, basic business fundamentals, and hedge fund sentiment.

Best Lithium and Phosphate Stocks to Buy Now

10. Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: N/A

Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) is a Canadian resources company that primarily explores for lithium deposits. It is placed tenth on our list of 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. In earnings results for the second quarter, posted on August 5, the firm reported earnings per share of -0.16, missing market estimates by $0.08. The cash and cash equivalents at the end of the first quarter were $505 million. On May 28, the share price of the firm jumped over 2% after it announced an expansion at a resource project in Argentina.

In March, investment advisory B Riley initiated coverage of Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) stock with a Buy rating and a price target of $25, noting that the firm was nearing completion of a lithium project and developing another long-term resource in the US.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, New York-based investment firm Axel Capital Management is a leading shareholder in Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) with 830,000 shares worth more than $13 million.

Just like Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), and NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO), Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) is one of the best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Massif Capital, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

9. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM) is a Chilean firm that produces and distributes lithium derivatives. It is ranked ninth on our list of 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. On July 16, the company announced that it had received approval from authorities in Australia to build a lithium hydroxide refinery. The project, once completed, would be capable of producing 50,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The production on the site is expected to commence by 2024.

On May 20, investment advisory Scotiabank upgraded Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM) stock to Sector Perform from Underperform with a price target of $42. Ben Isaacson, an analyst at the firm, issued the ratings update.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Chicago-based investment firm Citadel Investment Group is a leading shareholder in Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM) with 718,156 shares worth more than $38 million.

Alongside Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), and NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO), Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM) is one of the best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, ClearBridge Investments, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

8. Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) is placed eighth on our list of 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. The company is based in Pennsylvania. It makes and sells lithium compounds. The company posted earnings for the second quarter on August 5, reporting earnings per share of $0.04, beating market predictions by $0.02. The revenue over the period was $102 million, up 57% compared to the revenue over the same period last year and beating market estimates by $14.4 million.

In April, investment advisory Evercore upgraded Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) stock to Outperform from In Line and raised the price target to $22 from $20, noting the positive developments in the lithium industry as a whole in terms of basic fundamentals.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, New York-based investment firm Joho Capital is a leading shareholder in Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) with 3.7 million shares worth more than $65 million.

In addition to Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), and NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO), Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) is one of the best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now.

7. Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR) is ranked seventh on our list of 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. The company markets different types of batteries and is headquartered in Missouri. On May 10, the firm posted earnings for the second fiscal quarter, reporting earnings per share of $0.77, beating market estimates by $0.17. The revenue over the period was $685 million, up 16% compared to the revenue over the same period last year and beating market predictions by $59 million.

On May 11, investment advisory Morgan Stanley reiterated an Overweight rating on Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR) stock and raised the price target to $56 from $54, noting the large earnings beat for the firm in the second fiscal quarter.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 22 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $237 million in Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR).

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), and NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO) are some of the best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now, just like Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ENR).

6. QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 29

QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS) is a California-based company that develops and sells solid-state lithium batteries that are used in electric vehicles. It is placed sixth on our list of 10 best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now. The stock has been one of the most high-volume ones on the market in recent weeks. On August 2, the share price soared close to 3.5%, stretching year-to-date gains to 70%, in a high-volume trading day for the company. The firm also stands to gain as EV deliveries improve in the post-pandemic economy.

On July 21, investment advisory JPMorgan initiated coverage of QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS) stock with a Neutral rating and a price target of $35, underlining that the firm would play a vital role in the development of solid-state batteries for the EV industry in the near future.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 29 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $534 million in QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS).

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), and NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO) are some of the best lithium and phosphate stocks to buy now, in addition to QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS).

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Baron Funds, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

Click to continue reading and see 5 Best Lithium and Phosphate Stocks to Buy Now.

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Disclosure. None. 10 Best Lithium and Phosphate Stocks to Buy Now is originally published on Insider Monkey.

Domtar Corporation’s UFS second-quarter 2021 adjusted earnings of $1.22 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.26. Including one-time items, the company reported earnings per share of 75 cents against the prior-year quarter’s loss of 5 cents. Increased shipments of paper and higher net average selling prices for pulp and paper aided results in the quarter. The company noted an increase in demand for paper through the second quarter amid the ongoing economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consolidated sales increased 26% year over year to $1,010 million. The top line, however, lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,041 million. Net average selling prices for pulp and paper were up from prior-year quarter. On a year-over-year basis, manufacturing paper volumes were up, while pulp volumes were slightly down.

Consolidated adjusted operating income amounted to $99 million during the quarter under review against the year-ago quarter’s operating loss of $3 million.

Domtar Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Domtar Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Domtar Corporation Quote

Segmental Performance

Following the sale of its Personal Care business on Mar 1, 2021, the company has only one operating segment — Pulp and Paper, which comprises design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of communication, specialty and packaging papers, as well as softwood, hardwood and fluff pulp, and high quality airlaid ultrathin laminated cores.

Quarterly revenues of the Pulp and Paper segment totaled $1010 million, up 26% year over year. Revenues from Communication Papers were up 29% year over year to $498 million. While Specialty and Packaging paper’s revenues improved 14% to $145 million, the same from Market Pulp surged 28% to $357 million. Revenues from absorbent core materials were down 17% to $10 million.

Adjusted operating income for the segment was $109 million in the second quarter, substantially up from the year-earlier reported figure of $4 million.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow

The company had cash and cash equivalents of $346 million at the end of second-quarter 2021, up from the $309 million held at end of 2020. Net debt-to-total capitalization ratio was 7% as of Jun 30, 2021, down from 26% as of Dec 31, 2020.

Domtar generated $90 million of cash from operating activities during the first six-month period of 2021 compared with the $155 million reported in the year-earlier comparable period.

Update on Merger With Paper Excellence

On May 10, 2021, Domtar and Paper Excellence together announced that they have entered into a business combination agreement under which the latter will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Domtar common stock for $55.50 per share, in cash. The all-cash transaction represents an enterprise value of approximately $3 billion. Subsequently, on Jul 29, Domtar announced that the deal has been approved by Domtar’s shareholders.

The company added that clearances have been obtained under the antitrust laws of Spain and the People’s Republic of China, following previous clearances obtained in the United States and Turkey — representing another step toward the closing of the announced merger. The merger is expected to be completed before the end of this year, subject to receiving clearance under Canada’s Competition Act and other customary closing conditions.
Outlook

While the uncertainty regarding the pandemic remains, Domtar believes paper demand will continue to pick up pace as people return to schools and offices. It expects to sell all paper production for the balance of the year. The pulp market is likely to gradually improve on steady demand growth and supply constraint. Paper prices are expected to continue to increase, while pulp prices are expected to witness some seasonal volatility. While raw material costs are expected to remain stable, freight costs are likely to be higher this year.

Price Performance

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The stock has soared 95% in the past year, compared with the industry’s rally of 52.6%.

Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

Domtar currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Some other top-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Commercial Metals Company CMC, Nucor Corporation NUE and The Mosaic Company MOS. All of these stocks flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 currently. .

Commercial Metals has a projected earnings growth rate of 32.8% for the current fiscal year. The company’s shares have gained nearly 41% in the past year.

Nucor has an expected earnings growth rate of 455% for the current fiscal year. The company’s shares have rallied around 126% over the past year.

Mosaic Company has a projected earnings growth rate of 412% for the current fiscal year. The company’s shares have gained roughly 71% in a year’s time.

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Denver, CO, Aug. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intrepid Potash Inc. (NYSE:IPI) (“Intrepid”) today announced the following increase to its potash and Trio^® pricing, effective August 9, 2021.

• $80/ton increase to Ag potash price at all locations and for all product grades. Intrepid is now posted at $200/ton above the 2021 summer-fill price levels announced in May 2021.

• $50-$55/ton increase to Trio^® price depending on grade.

“Attractive grain prices and farmer economics continue to support the global and domestic potash market,” said Bob Jornayvaz, Intrepid’s Executive Chairman and CEO. “This price increase aligns our posted pricing with the spot potash price levels we are currently seeing in the Cornbelt, and we expect this announcement will give our customers the confidence to place orders for fourth quarter delivery. With robust demand expected to continue into the spring season, we plan to limit our potash and Trio^® orders to historic customers and volumes in the fourth quarter.”

About Intrepid:

Intrepid is a diversified mineral company that delivers potassium, magnesium, sulfur, salt, and water products essential for customer success in agriculture, animal feed, and the oil and gas industry. Intrepid is the only U.S. producer of muriate of potash, which is applied as an essential nutrient for healthy crop development, utilized in several industrial applications, and used as an ingredient in animal feed. In addition, Intrepid produces a specialty fertilizer, Trio^®, which delivers three key nutrients, potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, in a single particle. Intrepid also provides water, magnesium chloride, brine, and various oilfield products and services.
Intrepid serves diverse customers in markets where a logistical advantage exists and is a leader in the use of solar evaporation for potash production, resulting in lower cost and more environmentally friendly production. Intrepid's mineral production comes from three solar solution potash facilities and one conventional underground Trio^® mine.

Intrepid routinely posts important information, including information about upcoming investor presentations and press releases, on its website under the Investor Relations tab. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll at intrepidpotash.com, to receive automatic email alerts for new postings.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes certain statements concerning expectations for the future that are forward-looking within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements contain known and unknown risks and uncertainties (many of which are difficult to predict and beyond management's control) that may cause Intrepid’s actual results in future periods to differ materially from anticipated or projected results. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements regarding Intrepid’s expectation of its customer’s response to the price increase, its ability to achieve these price increases, and expectations regarding the future demand for potash and Trio^®. An extensive list of specific material risks and uncertainties affecting Intrepid is contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and other quarterly and current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Intrepid undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events.

Contact:
Matt Preston, Vice President of Finance
Phone: 303-996-3048
Email: matt.preston@intrepidpotash.com

(Bloomberg) — A months-long wage negotiation at the world’s biggest copper mine is heading into a tense finale over the coming days.

The main union at Chile’s Escondida is calling on workers to be ready to strike amid limited progress in mediated talks. But owner BHP Group said it had made substantial improvements and vowed to continue its practice of not sweetening offers during strikes.

Wage talks at a mine that accounts for about 5% of global production are being closely watched by the copper market as trillions of dollars in government stimulus fuel demand for industrial metals. Traders will have to navigate Chile’s somewhat complex labor rules to figure out the likely next steps.

After workers rejected BHP’s final wage offer in regular talks, the company exercised its option of a five-day mediation period in a bid to avert a strike. That period ends Monday. If the two sides fail to reach a deal by then, they could agree to extend mediation for as many as five more business days or a legal strike could begin.

The two sides don’t seem too far apart in terms of benefits. The union requested a bonus equivalent to 1% of the company’s profit, which would be about 21 million pesos ($26,600) each worker. In regular talks, the company offered 18 million pesos apiece and says it has sweetened terms during mediation. They may be further apart in base wages.

Read More: A Copper Supply Shock Is Brewing as Miners Dig in on Wage Talks

According to consultancy firm Plusmining, any strike would probably be shorter than the 44-day stoppage that roiled the copper market in 2017. The union would have the option, as it took up four years ago, to end the strike by freezing the current contract for 18 months and negotiate again, without receiving any bonus now. But given the company submitted an offer higher than the legal floor, workers could only take up that option after 30 days, which would put pressure on their personal finances.

While the union says BHP hasn’t done enough during mediation and attached conditions to proposed benefits, the company is ratcheting up its own pressure to get a deal done. The cost of a prolonged strike at a time of sky-high copper prices would also be heavy for the Melbourne-based miner.

“We have gone to great lengths to reach an agreement during the process, and especially in mandatory mediation,” the company said in a text message late Friday. “We hope that these efforts will be appreciated by the workers because the offer in mediation will be the best that the company will present.”

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The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has The Mosaic (MOS) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.

The Mosaic is one of 251 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. MOS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOS's full-year earnings has moved 24.17% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, MOS has moved about 33.42% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 13.64%. This means that The Mosaic is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, MOS belongs to the Fertilizers industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #23 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 12.71% so far this year, so MOS is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

MOS will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.

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A dramatic recovery in dividends has gathered pace across the London stock market as profits rebound. Experts have forecast payouts to continue to climb as British stocks shake off the effects of the pandemic.

Dividends surged by 51pc between April and June and the companies that led the rebound have set the stock market on course for the next leg of its recovery.

Miners and banks, the biggest contributors to that forecast-beating jump, have announced a series of increases in their dividends over the past fortnight. These payments will be made in September, so DIY investors who buy now can still benefit.

James Lowen, co-manager of the JOHCM UK Equity Income fund, said British firms were “coming out of Covid very strongly” after a 43pc crash in dividend payments last year.

“The results from UK companies are off the charts. Every day we are hearing very good updates,” he said.

Rio Tinto, the miner, has led the way, unveiling a huge $5.61 per share dividend to be paid in September. That payout, which equates to 404p for British shareholders, is more than double last year’s payment. Analysts have forecast a final dividend of $5.70, to be paid in April. If accurate, it would mean the shares yield about 13pc relative to today’s share price.

Yields, or dividend payments as a percentage of share prices, have surged among mining companies. Anglo American announced a $1.71 per share interim dividend last week, six times higher than last year’s equivalent, plus an additional 80 cent special payout. The shares are expected to yield 9pc over the next year, based on the current share price.

Mr Lowen said miners were offloading a “tsunami” of cash to investors as profits surged thanks to booming commodity prices. “The money has nowhere to go other than to shareholders,” he said.

Yields on bank shares are lower, but dividends are forecast to rise sharply after the Bank of England lifted the last of its restrictions on payouts last month. Banks were barred from returning money to shareholders in 2020 and still faced curbs earlier this year, but have now announced their first unrestricted payouts.

Their shares are expected to yield between 3.3pc for NatWest and 5.6pc for HSBC over the next 12 months and dividends are forecast to rise sharply over the following two years. NatWest’s are tipped to increase by 43pc, Barclays’ by 29pc and Lloyds’ by 10pc. HSBC’s dividend for its 2023 financial year is expected to be 46pc higher than this year’s.

Richard Buxton, manager of the Jupiter UK Alpha fund, said: “All that cash the banks are generating – an awful lot of it is going to come back to the shareholders quite dramatically over the next three years.”

Those rising payouts should lead to a rally in bank shares, said Kevin Murphy, manager of the Schroder Income fund. “The payouts are not just attractive today but over five years. When people recognise this, investors will be rewarded not just with that income but also with share price growth,” he said.

Dividends from miners are expected to dip from this year’s elevated levels but remain high. Analysts at JPMorgan Cazenove, the broker, have forecast Rio Tinto to pay out a third of its market value in dividends over the next three years.

Investors expect a fall in iron ore prices to lead to lower dividends, but Mr Buxton said Rio Tinto was still worth backing. “I fully expect profits to fall and the dividend to fall with them, but it will still be extremely attractive,” he said. “The level of yield on offer remains incredibly high.”

Across the London market, dividends are forecast to rise by 64pc from last year’s low by 2024. A £1,000 investment in a fund that tracks the FTSE All-Share, such as iShares UK Equity Index, is forecast to pay £136 in income over that period.

Investors interested in stocks from the Fertilizers sector have probably already heard of Mosaic (MOS) and SQM (SQM). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Both Mosaic and SQM have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

MOS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.93, while SQM has a forward P/E of 39.05. We also note that MOS has a PEG ratio of 1.13. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. SQM currently has a PEG ratio of 1.20.

Another notable valuation metric for MOS is its P/B ratio of 1.11. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, SQM has a P/B of 5.94.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to MOS's Value grade of A and SQM's Value grade of D.

Both MOS and SQM are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that MOS is the superior value option right now.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — American Lithium Corp. (“American Lithium” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: LI) (OTCQB: LIACF) (Frankfurt: 5LA1) is pleased to announce additional promising results on process development at its Tonopah Lithium Claims (“TLC”) Project located close to Tonopah, Nevada.

Highlights:

• New leaching test work run by TECMMINE in Lima, Peru demonstrates an initial 95.1% lithium extraction using hydrochloric acid leach processing (“HCI”).

• This HCI option also allows a large amount of the hydrochloric acid to be regenerated through pyrolysis and then reused, further lowering potential reagent and operational costs.

• Metallurgical work on the TLC claystone mineralization has now demonstrated it is amenable to three ways of extracting lithium into solution.

  • i) leaching with sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) at 80°C (92% extraction)

  • ii) salt roasting followed by water leaching (initial 82% extraction)

  • iii) leaching with hydrochloric acid (HCl) at 90°C (initial 95% extraction)

• This demonstrates exceptional flexibility to multiple process options which, coupled with the ability to pre concentrate / upgrade TLC claystones, positions the Project well.

• Ongoing process work is focused on optimizing all processing options and flow-sheet designs to enable a robust Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) with economic benefits maximized and environmental impacts minimized

Dr. Laurence Stefan, COO of American Lithium, stated “American Lithium continues to explore all relevant processing options. These new results not only demonstrate the highest lithium extraction achieved to date, but further indicates that a variety of lithium extraction options are available to us for our TLC Claystones and positions us well to deliver a robust PEA late this year / early next year. All three processes offer us the ability to produce lithium carbonate. We will focus on optimizing the best approach from an economic and environmental perspective.”

American Lithium Provides TLC Process Update:

Process work has already demonstrated that the TLC claystones are amenable to rapid lithium extraction using warm sulfuric acid leaching, reaching 92% lithium extraction in 10 minutes. In addition, up to 82% lithium extraction has been achieved using salt roasting followed by water leaching (refer to previous news release, dated June 29, 2021). Recent test work run at TECMMINE generated 95.1% lithium extraction using HCI at temperatures of 90°C for 60-minutes.

Like sulfuric acid leaching, HCI leaching results in impurities in the resulting solution which then need to be removed, but in this case with the advantage of higher lithium extraction. Another advantage of hydrochloric acid leaching is the potential to rejuvenate acid through pyrolysis for reuse. This could ultimately materially reduce reagent use and the potential operating costs of a future lithium production operation at TLC.

Optimization test work will continue into Fall 2021 using all three potential process options: hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid as well as salt roasting/water leaching. American Lithium is committed to producing a world class process to supply cost competitive lithium products in an environmentally sound manner.

Qualified Persons
Mr. Ted O’Connor, P.Geo., a Director of American Lithium, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical geological information contained in this news release.

About American Lithium
American Lithium is actively engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of lithium projects within mining-friendly jurisdictions throughout the Americas. The Company is currently focused on enabling the shift to the new energy paradigm through the continued exploration and development of its strategically located TLC lithium claystone project in the richly mineralized Esmeralda lithium district in Nevada as well as continuing to advance its Falchani lithium and Macusani uranium development projects in southeastern Peru. Both Falchani and Macusani have been through preliminary economic assessments, exhibit strong additional exploration potential and are situated near significant infrastructure.

Please watch our informative project update videos and related background information at https://www.americanlithiumcorp.com.

For more information, please contact the Company at info@americanlithiumcorp.com or visit our website at www.americanlithiumcorp.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of American Lithium Corp.

“Simon Clarke”
CEO & Director
Tel: 604 428 6128

For further information, please contact:
American Lithium Corp.
Email: info@americanlithiumcorp.com
Website: www.americanlithiumcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information
This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the plans, objectives and advancement of the TLC, Falchani and Macusani Projects (the “Projects”), exploration drilling plans, in-fill and expansion drilling plans, results of exploration and development plans, expansion of resources and testing of new deposits, environmental and social community permitting, and any other statements regarding the business plans, expectations and objectives of American Lithium. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", “indicate”, “scheduled”, “target”, “goal”, “potential”, “subject”, “efforts”, “option” and similar words, or the negative connotations thereof, referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management are not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Although American Lithium believes that the current opinions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available at the time, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since American Lithium can provide no assurance that such opinions and expectations will prove to be correct. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to: American Lithium’s ability to achieve its stated goals, including the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Plateau Energy Metals Inc. (“Plateau”); the estimated costs associated with the advancement of the Projects; risks and uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent and manner to which measures taken by governments and their agencies, American Lithium or others to attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 could affect American Lithium, which could have a material adverse impact on many aspects of American Lithium’s businesses including but not limited to: the ability to access mineral properties for indeterminate amounts of time, the health of the employees or consultants resulting in delays or diminished capacity, social or political instability in Peru which in turn could impact American Lithium’s ability to maintain the continuity of its business operating requirements, may result in the reduced availability or failures of various local administration and critical infrastructure, reduced demand for the American Lithium’s potential products, availability of materials, global travel restrictions, and the availability of insurance and the associated costs; risks related to the certainty of title to the properties of American Lithium, including the status of the “Precautionary Measures” filed by American Lithium’s subsidiary Macusani Yellowcake S.A.C. (“Macusani”), the outcome of the administrative process, the judicial process, and any and all future remedies pursued by American Lithium and its subsidiary Macusani to resolve the title for 32 of its concessions; risks regarding the ongoing Ontario Securities Commission regulatory proceedings; the ongoing ability to work cooperatively with stakeholders, including but not limited to local communities and all levels of government; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that any future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with our expectations; risks that permits will not be obtained as planned or delays in obtaining permits; mining and development risks, including risks related to accidents, equipment breakdowns, labour disputes (including work stoppages, strikes and loss of personnel) or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in exploration and development; risks related to commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations; risks related to foreign operations; the cyclical nature of the industry in which American Lithium operates; risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms or delays in obtaining governmental approvals; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the uncertain global economic environment and the effects upon the global market generally, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic measures taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19, any of which could continue to negatively affect global financial markets, including the trading price of American Lithium’s shares and could negatively affect American Lithium’s ability to raise capital and may also result in additional and unknown risks or liabilities to American Lithium. Other risks and uncertainties related to prospects, properties and business strategy of American Lithium are identified in the “Risks and Uncertainties” section of Plateau’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis filed on January 19, 2021, in the “Risk Factors” section of American Lithium’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis filed on January 29, 2021, and in recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. American Lithium undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Cautionary Note Regarding Macusani Concessions Thirty-two of the 151 concessions held by American Lithium’s subsidiary Macusani, are currently subject to Administrative and Judicial processes (together, the “Processes”) in Peru to overturn resolutions issued by INGEMMET and the Mining Council of MINEM in February 2019 and July 2019, respectively, which declared Macusani’s title to 32 of the concessions invalid due to late receipt of the annual validity payments. In November 2019, Macusani applied for injunctive relief on 32 concessions in a Court in Lima, Peru and was successful in obtaining such an injunction on 17 of the concessions including three of the four concessions included in the Macusani Uranium Project PEA. The grant of the Precautionary Measure (Medida Cautelar) has restored the title, rights and validity of those 17 concessions to Macusani until a final decision is obtained at the last stage of the judicial process. A Precautionary Measure application was made at the same time for the remaining 15 concessions and was ultimately granted by a Court in Lima, Peru on March 2, 2021 which has also restored the title, rights and validity of those 15 remaining concessions to Macusani, with the result being that all 32 concessions are now protected by Precautionary Measure (Medida Cautelar) until a final decision on this matter is obtained at the last stage of the judicial process. A final date for the last stage of the judicial process has not yet been set. If American Lithium’s subsidiary Macusani does not obtain a successful resolution of the Processes, its title to the concessions could be revoked.

Sanjeev Gupta’s under-pressure business empire has settled two disputes with major international companies, months after a major lender collapsed.

GFG Alliance said it has reached an agreement with India’s Tata Steel which will end proceedings that Tata launched against three GFG companies, including Liberty Speciality Steels, earlier this year.

According to reports from April, Tata took action against Liberty Steel due to unpaid debts linked to Liberty’s £100 million takeover of the Indian company’s speciality steel business in 2017.

GFG, which is a loose alliance of companies centred around Mr Gupta’s family’s business interests, did not provide further details on the settlement.

It has also settled a dispute with mining giant Rio Tinto linked to the company’s 2018 purchase of Rio’s Dunkirk aluminium smelter.

GFG again provided no further information on the deal.

Much remains to be done, but we believe that we are now making rapid progress in building faith with our creditors and other stakeholders through our restructuring plan

Sanjiv Gupta, GFG Alliance

Mr Gupta’s business empire has been under pressure since March when major lender Greensill Capital collapsed.

Greensill said at the time that it had billions of pounds worth of exposure to GFG Alliance.

Since then bosses at GFG have been scrambling to ensure that their companies can survive the shock of Greensill’s collapse.

On Thursday, GFG revealed that Liberty Steel’s mill in Newport, South Wales, had its best financial performance ever in the first quarter of the financial year, and that the outlook is even brighter for the second quarter.

Mr Gupta said: “The update of the RTC (Restructuring and Transformation Committee) shows that, despite the challenges, our core businesses continue to perform very well, and we are taking advantage of the excellent market conditions we face.

“Much remains to be done, but we believe that we are now making rapid progress in building faith with our creditors and other stakeholders through our restructuring plan.

“We are moving with significant momentum towards a profitable, restructured and focused business.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) (“Lithium Americas” or the “Company”) has reported unaudited financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021.

HIGHLIGHTS

Caucharí-Olaroz

• Construction activities at Caucharí-Olaroz remain on track to achieve first production by mid-2022 on the initial 40,000 tonnes per annum (“tpa”) operation.

• As of June 30, 2021, capital expenditures committed were $545 million (85% of the $641 million budget), of which $471 million (73% of the budget) has been spent.

  • The Company’s share of the remaining capital expenditure is expected to be fully funded from available credit.

• Over 1,200 workers are on site, with over 60% of the total workforce having received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

• Evaporation ponds are on track to begin liming in the second half of 2021, with sufficient brine inventory to support production ramp up.

• With all major equipment on site, focus is on construction of the chemical and processing plants:

  • Solid-liquid separation plant is over 73% complete.

  • Solvent extraction (SX) plant is 65% complete.

  • Potassium chloride (KCl) plant is over 67% complete.

• In May, the Company announced in partnership with Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd., the approval to commence development planning for a second stage expansion of at least an additional 20,000 tpa of lithium carbonate equivalent (“LCE”).

Thacker Pass

• Results of a Feasibility Study on the first phase of Thacker Pass (for at least 30,000-35,000 tpa of lithium carbonate) (“Phase 1”) are expected by year end.

• Engineering is underway to consider a 20,000 tpa lithium hydroxide chemical conversion plant, to provide flexibility to meet potential customer and partner needs.

• The Company continues to evaluate partnership and financing opportunities for Thacker Pass to advance and de-risk the project.

• The process testing facility in Reno, Nevada, continues to operate with enhanced COVID-19 protocols in place and has produced over 30,000 kg of lithium sulphate solution.

• In February 2021, claims were filed against the Bureau of Land Management to appeal the issuance of a Record of Decision for Thacker Pass. The Company has been advised a final ruling is expected by January 2022.

• Construction remains on target to begin in early 2022, following the receipt of remaining state permits and water right transfers, and resolution of the appeal.

Corporate:

• As at June 30, 2021, the Company had $505 million in cash and cash equivalents and $156 million in undrawn credit.

• On June 10, 2021, Kelvin Dushnisky and Jinhee Magie joined the Company’s Board. Mr. Dushnisky previously served as the CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. and as a President and member of the Board of Barrick Gold Corp. Ms. Magie is currently the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Lundin Mining Corporation.

• In July 2021, the Company completed a strategic investment in Arena Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: AN) (“Arena Minerals”) of $5 million for an approximate 12.9% equity interest (14.6% on a fully diluted basis).

• The Company engaged a consultant to provide an estimate of the carbon footprint and water impact for Thacker Pass and Caucharí-Olaroz.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

Selected consolidated financial information is presented as follows:

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, total assets and cash increased primarily due to the $377.4 million net proceeds raised from the underwritten public offering of common stock, partially offset by expenditures in the period. Total long-term liabilities increased primarily as a result of drawdowns on the Company’s senior credit facility of $28.1 million.

The higher net loss in Q2 2021 compared to Q2 2020 is primarily attributable to higher Thacker Pass expenditures and $4.7 million loss on the JEMSE transaction.

Click here to view the Company’s second quarter results for 2021.

About Lithium Americas:

Lithium Americas is a development-stage company focused on advancing to production a lithium brine operation in Jujuy, Argentina and a sedimentary lithium clay project in Nevada, United States. The Company trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol “LAC”.

For further information contact:

Investor Relations
Telephone: 778-656-5820
Email: ir@lithiumamericas.com
Website: www.lithiumamericas.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (which we refer to collectively as forward-looking information) under the provisions of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include, among other things, statements related to: successful development of the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project, including timing, progress, construction, milestones, anticipated production and results thereof; expectations and anticipated impact of COVID-19 on the Company and its mineral properties; capital expenditures and programs, and the Company’s ability to fund such programs; government regulation of mining operations and treatment under governmental and taxation regimes; the timing, amount and type of future production; expected outcome and timing of environmental surveys and analysis, permit applications and other environmental matters; expected timing and outcome of litigation concerning the Thacker Pass project; expected expenditures to be made by the Company on its properties; the timing, cost, quantity, capacity and product quality of production of the Caucharí-Olaroz project, which is held and operated through an entity in Argentina co-owned by the Company, Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. (“Ganfeng”) and JEMSE; successful operation of the Caucharí-Olaroz project under the co-ownership structure, and expectations concerning proposed expansion plans for the project; results of the Company’s engineering, design and permitting program at the Thacker Pass project, including the Company meeting deadlines and receiving and maintaining permits as anticipated; timing, results and completion of a feasibility study and to make a construction decision for the Thacker Pass project; the Company’s share of the expected capital expenditures for the construction of the Caucharí-Olaroz project; Company expectations as to feasibility study activities at the Thacker Pass project; and, the potential for partnership and financing scenarios for the Thacker Pass project.

Forward-looking information is based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such information. Such information reflects the Company’s current views with respect to future events and is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company today, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include, among others, the following: current technological trends; a cordial business relationship between the Company and Ganfeng for the Caucharí-Olaroz project; ability of the Company to fund, advance and develop the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project, and raise additional capital as needed, and the respective impacts of the projects when production commences; the Company’s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner; uncertainties relating to receiving and maintaining mining, exploration, environmental and other permits or approvals in Nevada and Argentina, and resolving any complaints or litigation concerning such environmental permitting processes; realizing on the expected benefits from previous transactions with existing or new partners, or for debt financing; demand for lithium, including that such demand is supported by growth in the electric vehicle market; the Company’s ability to produce high purity battery grade lithium products; the impact of increasing competition in the lithium business, and LAC’s competitive position in the industry; currency exchange and interest rates; general economic conditions; a stable and supportive legislative, regulatory and community environment in the jurisdictions where the Company operates; stability and inflation of the Argentinian peso, including any foreign exchange or capital controls which may be enacted in respect thereof, and the effect of current or any additional regulations on the Company’s operations; the impact of unknown financial contingencies, including litigation costs, on the Company’s operations; gains or losses, in each case, if any, from short-term investments in Argentine bonds and equities; estimates of and unpredictable changes to the market prices for lithium products; exploration, development and construction costs for the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project; the timing, cost, quantity, capacity and product quality of production at the Thacker Pass project; successful results from the Company’s testing facility and third-party tests related thereto for the Thacker Pass project; capital costs, operating costs, and sustaining capital requirements of the Caucharí-Olaroz project and the Thacker Pass project; estimates of mineral resources and mineral reserves, including whether mineral resources will ever be developed into mineral reserves; reliability of technical data; anticipated timing and results of exploration, development and construction activities, including the impact of COVID-19 on such timing; timely responses from governmental agencies responsible for reviewing and considering the Company’s permitting activities at the Thacker Pass project; the Company’s ability to obtain additional financing, including pursuant to an additional debt funding commitment, on satisfactory terms or at all; the ability to develop and achieve production at any of the Company’s mineral exploration and development properties; the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s business; that pending patent applications are approved; the Company’s anticipated ownership interest in holdings of shares, warrants and other securities issued by third parties; accuracy of development budget and construction estimates; and preparation of a development plan and feasibility study for lithium production at the Thacker Pass project.

Forward-looking information also involves known and unknown risks that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include, among others, inherent risks in the development of capital intensive mineral projects (including as co-owners), variations in mineral resources and mineral reserves, global demand for lithium, recovery rates and lithium pricing, risks associated with successfully securing adequate financing, changes in project parameters and funding thereof, risks related to growth of lithium markets and pricing for products thereof, changes in legislation, governmental or community policy, changes in public perception concerning mining projects generally, political risk associated with foreign operations, permitting risk, including receipt of new permits and maintenance of existing permits, outcomes of litigation concerning the Company’s mineral properties, title and access risk, cost overruns, unpredictable weather and maintenance of natural resources, unanticipated delays, intellectual property risks, currency and interest rate fluctuations, operational risks, health and safety risks, and general market and industry conditions. Additional risks, assumptions and other factors are set out in the Company’s most recent annual management discussion analysis and annual information form, copies of which are available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks and assumptions, given the inherent uncertainties in such forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results to differ materially. Forward-looking information is made as of the date hereof and the Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information.

There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, Search Minerals (CVE:SMY) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 400%. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.

Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Search Minerals shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

Check out our latest analysis for Search Minerals

Does Search Minerals Have A Long Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at May 2021, Search Minerals had cash of CA$3.2m and such minimal debt that we can ignore it for the purposes of this analysis. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through CA$2.5m. Therefore, from May 2021 it had roughly 15 months of cash runway. While that cash runway isn't too concerning, sensible holders would be peering into the distance, and considering what happens if the company runs out of cash. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Search Minerals' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Search Minerals isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. With the cash burn rate up 35% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Search Minerals due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

How Hard Would It Be For Search Minerals To Raise More Cash For Growth?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Search Minerals shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.

Since it has a market capitalisation of CA$57m, Search Minerals' CA$2.5m in cash burn equates to about 4.4% of its market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

So, Should We Worry About Search Minerals' Cash Burn?

Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Search Minerals' cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Cash burning companies are always on the riskier side of things, but after considering all of the factors discussed in this short piece, we're not too worried about its rate of cash burn. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Search Minerals (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Denver, CO, Aug. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) announced today that its East Mine operation in Carlsbad, NM was the recipient of the 2020 Sentinels of Safety Award in the Large Underground Nonmetal category.

Established in 1925, the Sentinels of Safety Award is presented by the National Mining Association each year to recognize the outstanding safety achievements of mining operations across a variety of categories. Recipients of the award recorded the greatest number of employee work hours without a single lost-time injury.

“This award is a testament to Intrepid’s relentless focus on safe operations and our core value of ‘Safety in all that we do both at work and at home’.” said Robert Baldridge, Intrepid’s Senior Vice President – New Mexico. “We are honored to receive this award and congratulate every employee at our East Mine for this tremendous achievement.”

About Intrepid

Intrepid is a diversified mineral company that delivers potassium, magnesium, sulfur, salt and water products essential for customer success in agriculture, animal feed and the oil and gas industry. Intrepid is the only U.S. producer of muriate of potash, which is applied as an essential nutrient for healthy crop development, utilized in several industrial applications and used as an ingredient in animal feed. In addition, Intrepid produces a specialty fertilizer, Trio^®, which delivers three key nutrients, potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, in a single particle. Intrepid also provides water, magnesium chloride, brine and various oilfield services.

Intrepid serves diverse customers in markets where a logistical advantage exists and is a leader in the use of solar evaporation for potash production, resulting in lower cost and more environmentally friendly production. Intrepid’s mineral production comes from three solar solution potash facilities and one conventional underground Trio^® mine.

Intrepid routinely posts important information, including information about upcoming investor presentations and press releases, on its website under the Investor Relations tab. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll at intrepidpotash.com, to receive automatic email alerts for new postings.

Contact
Matt Preston, Vice President – Finance
Phone: 303-996-3048
Email: matt.preston@intrepidpotash.com

For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Rio Tinto (RIO) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Basic Materials peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Rio Tinto is one of 251 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #8 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. RIO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RIO's full-year earnings has moved 18.87% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that RIO has returned about 16.06% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 14.92% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Rio Tinto is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, RIO belongs to the Mining – Miscellaneous industry, which includes 47 individual stocks and currently sits at #197 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 18.49% so far this year, so RIO is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors in the Basic Materials sector will want to keep a close eye on RIO as it attempts to continue its solid performance.

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Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – August 3, 2021) – Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: LRA) ("Lara"), is pleased to report the planned start of field work and receipt of the second option payment from Minsur S.A. ("Minsur") of US$200,000 as part of an Option and Royalty Agreement ("the Agreement") for the Lara Copper Project signed in July 2020.

The Lara Copper Project comprises of mineral rights covering a partly defined copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located in the Laramate Province of the Ayacucho Department, approximately 40km inland from the town of Palpa on the Pan American Highway. The Project is registered in the name of Minas Dixon S.A., which is in turn owned 55% Global Battery Metals Ltd. ("GBML"), and 45% by Lara.

Under the terms of the Agreement, GBML and Lara have granted Minsur an exclusive option to acquire a 100% interest in the Lara Copper Project by making staged cash payments of US$5.75 million to Minas Dixon S.A. on the satisfaction of various milestones, and with each of GBML and Lara retaining a 0.75% net smelter royalty. Payment milestones for the Agreement are summarized in the following table:

 

Minsur is expected to start fieldwork at the Lara project this month, including:

• Detailed relogging of 7,345 meters from 27 diamond drill holes

• Review of 2,504 meters from 23 RC drill holes (dependent on the state of the RC rock chips)

• Detailed geological mapping of 1,800 hectares

• Geophysics

Permitting is also underway for a drilling campaign that is targeted to commence in Q2-2022, once the permit has been approved.

About Lara Exploration

Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect and Royalty Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners, retaining a minority interest and or a royalty. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects, deposits and royalties in Brazil and Peru. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA".

Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release.

For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com, or contact Chris MacIntyre, VP Corporate Development, at +1 416 703 0010.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

-30-

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91949

The Mosaic Company MOS logged profits of $437.2 million or $1.14 per share in second-quarter 2021, up from $47.4 million or 12 cents in the year-ago quarter. The fertilizer maker gained from higher prices and its transformation efforts in the quarter.

Barring one-time items, adjusted earnings per share were $1.17 that beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.01.

Net sales rose roughly 37% year over year to $2,800.7 million in the quarter. The figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,927.8 million. Sales were driven by higher prices that more than offset reduced volumes.

The Mosaic Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

The Mosaic Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The Mosaic Company Quote

Segment Highlights

Net sales in the Phosphates segment rose roughly 54% year over year to $1.2 billion in the quarter, driven by increased prices. Sales volumes in the segment slipped around 11% year over year to 2 million tons. The segment’s gross margin per ton improved to $309 from $18 in the year-ago quarter as better pricing and transformation benefits more than offset reduced volumes and higher raw material costs.

Potash division’s net sales climbed around 19% year over year to $663 million driven by higher prices. Sales volumes in the segment declined around 9% year over year to 2.3 million tons. Gross margin per ton in the quarter was $217, up around 64% year over year.

Net sales in the Mosaic Fertilizantes segment were $1 billion, up around 32% year over year driven by higher year-over-year prices. Sales volume fell around 8% year over year to 2.3 million tons. Gross margin per ton in the quarter was $185, up around 83% year over year.

Financials

At the end of the quarter, Mosaic had cash and cash equivalents of $1,417.6 million, up around 32% year over year. Long-term debt fell roughly 12% year over year to $3,967.9 million.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased roughly 25% year over year to $1,015.1 million in the reported quarter.

Outlook

Moving ahead, the company noted that it expects strong agricultural trends to continue through the second half of 2021, driving demand for fertilizers. Grower economics remain attractive in most global growing regions on strong crop demand, affordable inputs and favorable weather, the company noted.

The company forecasts $90-$100 per ton improvement in average realized price in the Phosphates segment sequentially in the third quarter. For the Potash segment, $25-$35 per ton improvement in average realized prices is expected in the third quarter.

Price Performance

Shares of Mosaic have rallied 118.7% in the past year compared with 66.1% rise of the industry.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Mosaic currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks worth considering in the basic materials space include Nucor Corporation NUE, ArcelorMittal MT and The Chemours Company CC, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Nucor has a projected earnings growth rate of 444.9% for the current year. The company’s shares have surged around 138% in a year.

ArcelorMittal has an expected earnings growth rate of 1,484.4% for the current year. The company’s shares have shot up around 202% in the past year.

Chemours has an expected earnings growth rate of around 66.8% for the current fiscal. The company’s shares have rallied roughly 74% in the past year.

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Zacks Investment Research

TOKYO, August 02, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rio Tinto and Komatsu are partnering to fast-track the development and implementation of zero-emission mining haulage solutions, including haul trucks.

Rio Tinto will conduct a pre-production trial of the new equipment at a Rio Tinto site and has the option to purchase some of the first trucks from Komatsu once they are commercially viable.

Alf Barrios, Rio Tinto’s Chief Commercial Officer said: "Rio Tinto and Komatsu have a shared history of partnership on innovation going back to when we built the world’s largest Komatsu autonomous haulage fleet in 2008."

"Our support of a trial, and the option to buy some of the first trucks from Komatsu, underscores our shared commitment to actively collaborate on product planning, development, testing and deployment of the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and infrastructure as we look to decarbonise our business."

Rio Tinto is also one of the first companies to join Komatsu’s newly launched Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Alliance which has an initial target of advancing Komatsu’s power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources including battery and hydrogen.

Max Moriyama, President, Mining Business Division of Komatsu Ltd said Komatsu was honoured to continue to partner with Rio Tinto.

"Rio Tinto and Komatsu both recognise the critical role zero-emission haul trucks play in meeting the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction goals for the mining industry and the need to focus on developing practical haulage solutions.

"We are looking forward to advanced collaboration with them," said Max.

Rio Tinto is also a founding patron of the Charge On Innovation Challenge, which is focused on solving the power distribution infrastructure needed to support zero-emission haul trucks.

"We know that addressing climate change effectively requires businesses, governments and society to work together. Our collaboration with Komatsu recognises the role zero-emission haul trucks will play in meeting the emission reduction goals of not only Rio Tinto, but the entire mining industry," said Alf.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto produces high-quality iron ore, copper, aluminium, and minerals that have an essential role in enabling the low-carbon transition.

We have publicly acknowledged the reality of climate change for over two decades and have reduced our emissions footprint by over 30 percent in the decade to 2020.

We have set 2030 targets to reduce our absolute emissions by 15% and our emissions intensity by 30% relative to our 2018 baseline. These targets are consistent with a 45% reduction in absolute emissions, relative to 2010 levels, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pathways to 1.5°C. They are supported by our commitment to spend approximately $1 billion on emissions reduction initiatives over the first five years of the ten-year target period. In 2020, we set new Scope 3 emissions reduction goals to guide our partnership approach across our value chain.

Read more about our approach to climate change: www.riotinto.com/invest/reports/climate-change-report

About Komatsu

Komatsu develops and supplies technologies, equipment and services for the construction, mining, forklift, industrial and forestry markets. For a century, the company has been creating value for its customers through manufacturing and technology innovation, partnering with others to empower a sustainable future where people, business and the planet thrive together. Frontline industries worldwide use Komatsu solutions to develop modern infrastructure, extract fundamental minerals, maintain forests and create consumer products. The company's global service and distributor networks support customer operations to enhance safety and productivity while optimizing performance.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210802005282/en/

Contacts

Please direct all enquiries to
media.enquiries@riotinto.com

Media Relations, UK
Illtud Harri
M +44 7920 503 600

David Outhwaite
M +44 7787 597 493

Media Relations, Americas
Matthew Klar
T +1 514 608 4429

Investor Relations, UK
Menno Sanderse
M: +44 7825 195 178

David Ovington
M +44 7920 010 978

Clare Peever
M +44 7788 967 877

Media Relations, Australia
Jonathan Rose
M +61 447 028 913

Matt Chambers
M +61 433 525 739

Jesse Riseborough
M +61 436 653 412

Investor Relations, Australia
Natalie Worley
M +61 409 210 462

Amar Jambaa
M +61 472 865 948

Rio Tinto plc
6 St James’s Square
London SW1Y 4AD
United Kingdom

T +44 20 7781 2000
Registered in England
No. 719885

Rio Tinto Limited
Level 7, 360 Collins Street
Melbourne 3000
Australia

T +61 3 9283 3333
Registered in Australia
ABN 96 004 458 404

riotinto.com

Category: General

Denver, CO, Aug. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) announced today that Brian Stone has been promoted to President of Intrepid, effective August 2, 2021. As President, Mr. Stone will assume daily responsibility for executing the operations for all segments of Intrepid’s business.

“Brian’s leadership experience and commodities background have been a wonderful addition to Intrepid and we are excited for him to lead the execution of our strategic vision to grow our oilfield solutions business and drive profitable growth across all segments.” said Bob Jornayvaz, Intrepid’s Executive Chairman and CEO. “While navigating a challenging environment in 2020, Brian successfully managed Intrepid’s oilfield business that is now positioned to capitalize on recent improvements in oilfield activity near our operations. We congratulate Brian on this well-deserved promotion and look forward to his success in the coming years.”

Mr. Stone joined Intrepid in December 2019 as Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for Intrepid’s Oilfield Solutions segment. Prior to joining Intrepid, Mr. Stone spent 34 years in all phases of the oil and gas industry, most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Hupecol Operating Co., an international oil and gas company focused on South America and Europe. In that capacity, Mr. Stone managed international oil and gas operations as well as heading the finance and business development roles for those companies. Earlier in his career, Mr. Stone worked for J.M. Huber Corporation, a mining and natural resources company, as Vice President in the Energy Sector, and later as Chief Risk Officer in Huber’s corporate office.

About Intrepid

Intrepid is a diversified mineral company that delivers potassium, magnesium, sulfur, salt and water products essential for customer success in agriculture, animal feed and the oil and gas industry. Intrepid is the only U.S. producer of muriate of potash, which is applied as an essential nutrient for healthy crop development, utilized in several industrial applications and used as an ingredient in animal feed. In addition, Intrepid produces a specialty fertilizer, Trio^®, which delivers three key nutrients, potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, in a single particle. Intrepid also provides water, magnesium chloride, brine and various oilfield services.

Intrepid serves diverse customers in markets where a logistical advantage exists and is a leader in the use of solar evaporation for potash production, resulting in lower cost and more environmentally friendly production. Intrepid’s mineral production comes from three solar solution potash facilities and one conventional underground Trio^® mine.

Intrepid routinely posts important information, including information about upcoming investor presentations and press releases, on its website under the Investor Relations tab. Investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll at intrepidpotash.com, to receive automatic email alerts for new postings.

Contact
Matt Preston, Vice President – Finance
Phone: 303-996-3048
Email: matt.preston@intrepidpotash.com

Mosaic (MOS) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.17 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.01 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.11 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 15.84%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this fertilizer maker would post earnings of $0.50 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.57, delivering a surprise of 14%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Mosaic, which belongs to the Zacks Fertilizers industry, posted revenues of $2.8 billion for the quarter ended June 2021, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.34%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.04 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Mosaic shares have added about 35.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 17%.

What's Next for Mosaic?

While Mosaic has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Mosaic was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.11 on $3.4 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.29 on $11.54 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Fertilizers is currently in the top 9% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

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(Bloomberg) — A tightening global copper market is facing the real possibility of simultaneous strike disruptions at three mines in Chile, the top producer.

By far the most serious threat to global supplies comes from Escondida, the biggest copper mine in the world, where workers rejected owner BHP Group’s final wage offer in voting last week. Unless the two sides can reach a deal in government-mediated talks this week, the market may be left without production from a project that last year churned out 1.2 million metric tons.

Two other smaller mines — Codelco’s Andina and JX Nippon Mining & Metals’ Caserones — are at the same stage in their collective bargaining. That puts upwards of 7% of world production at risk in a particularly sensitive moment in the metal cycle and in Chilean politics.

Labor tensions are intensifying just as trillions of dollars in government stimulus fuel demand for industrial metals. Copper futures have gained over the past two weeks after retreating from an all-time high in May. On Monday, prices advanced as much as 0.8% on the London Metal Exchange before closing down 0.3% at $9,700.50 a ton after data showed U.S. manufacturing growth eased in July.

The windfall enjoyed by producers is emboldening mine workers, with host nations also looking at ratcheting up taxes to help resolve inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic. In Chile, that’s all playing out as the nation drafts a new constitution that may lead to tougher rules on water, glaciers, mineral and community rights, with presidential elections in November.

At the same time, companies are striving to keep labor costs in check in a cyclical business and as ore quality deteriorates and input prices start to rise.

In last week’s vote, members rejected BHP’s proposal by an overwhelming 99.5%. Union leaders say the company is dangling large one-time bonuses in exchange for longer hours and new demands in a bid to boost productivity and profit. BHP said its proposal included better conditions and new benefits and that it remains open to dialog.

“We hope that this strong vote will be the decisive wake-up call for BHP to initiate substantive discussions to reach satisfactory agreements, if it wants to avoid a lengthy conflict that could be the costliest in the country’s union history,” the union said.

(Updates prices in fourth paragraph)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Rio Tinto (RIO) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This upgrade primarily reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.

A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate — the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock — for the current and following years.

Individual investors often find it hard to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts, since these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. In these situations, the Zacks rating system comes in handy because of the power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements.

Therefore, the Zacks rating upgrade for Rio Tinto basically reflects positivity about its earnings outlook that could translate into buying pressure and an increase in its stock price.

Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock Prices

The change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, has proven to be strongly correlated with the near-term price movement of its stock. The influence of institutional investors has a partial contribution to this relationship, as these big professionals use earnings and earnings estimates to calculate the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their transaction of large amounts of shares then leads to price movement for the stock.

For Rio Tinto, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade fundamentally mean an improvement in the company's underlying business. And investors' appreciation of this improving business trend should push the stock higher.

Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions

As empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, tracking such revisions for making an investment decision could be truly rewarding. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions.

The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>.

Earnings Estimate Revisions for Rio Tinto

For the fiscal year ending December 2021, this miner is expected to earn $16.24 per share, which is a change of 110.9% from the year-ago reported number.

Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Rio Tinto. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 20%.

Bottom Line

Unlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of 'buy' and 'sell' ratings for its entire universe of more than 4000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a 'Strong Buy' rating and the next 15% get a 'Buy' rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term.

You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>>

The upgrade of Rio Tinto to a Zacks Rank #1 positions it in the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term.

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By Yasin Ebrahim

Investing.com – The Dow struggled for direction on Monday, after hitting an intraday record high as investors weighed mixed quarterly results and data showing a slowdown in manufacturing activity.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.1%, or 26 points, though had hit an intraday record of 35,192.11. The S&P 500 rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq was up 0.4%.

Materials were the biggest drag on the broader market, weighed down by a 3% decline in Mosaic Co (NYSE:MOS) ahead of its quarterly results due after the closing bell.

Wall Street analysts are expecting Mosaic to report earnings per share of 99 cents on revenue of $2.85 billion.

The broader technology sector was helped by a climb in iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:chipstocks) following a 14% surge in ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ:ON).

ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ:ON) delivered a better-than-expected outlook after reporting quarterly results that topped Wall Street estimates despite the ongoing supply chain constraints.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), meanwhile, pared some gains after Google unveiled plans to build its own smartphone processor, Google Tensor, and ditch chips from Qualcomm for its slate of Pixel 6 phones to be launched later this fall.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) traded mixed.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) was up more than 3% after cutting the price of its Model 3 standard range version in China by 15,000 Chinese yuan.

On the economic front, U.S. manufacturing activity slowed in July for the second straight month to a reading of 59.5 from 60.6 in May.

Positive sentiment on the broader market was also kept in check by surge in Covid-19 cases.

"COVID-19 cases have increased over 300% nationally from June 19 to July 23, 2021, along with parallel increases in hospitalizations and deaths driven by the highly transmissible B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Health Alert Network advisory last week.

With about 70% of U.S. adults having had at least one shot of a Covid vaccine, the impact on surging cases on the economy and broader market is expected to be limited

“Given our expectation for limited fallout, we maintain our favorable view of industrials, materials, and other economically sensitive equity sectors,” Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) said.

In other news, Square (NYSE:SQ) agreed to acquire Australian pay later provider Afterpay in a $29 billion all-stock transaction.

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TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2021 / The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) released its financial results for second quarter earnings of 2021. The company's earnings release, prepared comments and supplemental materials are available at https://investors.mosaicco.com/financials/quarterly-results.

Mosaic has also posted a Market Update presentation dated August 2021, https://investors.mosaicco.com/market-education/default.aspx.

Mosaic will present a fireside chat addressing investor questions during a conference call on Tuesday, August 3 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, accessible both through Mosaic's website at https://investors.mosaicco.com, and the dial in numbers below. The webcast will be available up to at least one year from today's date. The telephone replay will be available for one week.

About The Mosaic Company
The Mosaic Company is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Mosaic is a single source provider of phosphates and potash fertilizers and feed ingredients for the global agriculture industry. More information on the company is available at www.mosaicco.com.

Contacts:

The Mosaic Company

Media:
Ben Pratt, 813-775-4206
benjamin.pratt@mosaicco.com

Investors:
Laura Gagnon, 813-775-4214
Paul Massoud, 813-244-0669
investor@mosaicco.com

SOURCE: The Mosaic Company

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/658060/The-Mosaic-Company-Mosaic-Announces-2021-Second-Quarter-Earnings-Release

Intrepid Potash (IPI) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.55 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.29 per share. This compares to loss of $0.70 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 89.66%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this potash and fertilizer producer would post a loss of $0.06 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.18, delivering a surprise of 400%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.

Intrepid Potash, which belongs to the Zacks Fertilizers industry, posted revenues of $57.77 million for the quarter ended June 2021, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 18.87%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $37.72 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Intrepid Potash shares have added about 25.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 17%.

What's Next for Intrepid Potash?

While Intrepid Potash has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Intrepid Potash was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.47 on $53.5 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.15 on $222.95 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Fertilizers is currently in the top 9% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

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Zacks Investment Research

In the latest trading session, Lithium Americas Corp. (LAC) closed at $14.61, marking a -0.81% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.54% loss on the day.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the metals and mining company had lost 0.2% over the past month. This has lagged the Basic Materials sector's gain of 6.75% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.05% in that time.

LAC will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. On that day, LAC is projected to report earnings of -$0.10 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 66.67%.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for LAC. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. LAC is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

The Chemical – Diversified industry is part of the Basic Materials sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 88, which puts it in the top 35% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.

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Image source: The Motley Fool. Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd (NYSE: TRQ)Q2 2021 Earnings CallJul 30, 2021, 8:00 a.m. ETContents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: OperatorGood morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Turquoise Hill Second Quarter Financial Results Conference Call.

Investors with an interest in Mining – Miscellaneous stocks have likely encountered both Billiton (BBL) and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (WPM). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Billiton is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that BBL is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

BBL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.98, while WPM has a forward P/E of 30.25. We also note that BBL has a PEG ratio of 1.68. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. WPM currently has a PEG ratio of 6.05.

Another notable valuation metric for BBL is its P/B ratio of 1.32. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, WPM has a P/B of 3.56.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BBL's Value grade of A and WPM's Value grade of D.

BBL stands above WPM thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that BBL is the superior value option right now.

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Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, July 30th:

BHP Group BHP: This resources company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 10% over the last 60 days.

BHP Group Price and Consensus

BHP Group price-consensus-chart | BHP Group Quote

This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has a dividend yield of 5.03%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 4.36%.

BHP Group Dividend Yield (TTM)

BHP Group dividend-yield-ttm | BHP Group Quote

Fanhua Inc. FANH: This provider of financial services has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 1% over the last 60 days.

Fanhua Inc. Price and Consensus

Fanhua Inc. price-consensus-chart | Fanhua Inc. Quote

This Zacks Rank #1 company has a dividend yield of 4.21%, compared with the industry average of 0.78%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 3.40%.

Fanhua Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fanhua Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | Fanhua Inc. Quote

Cathay General Bancorp CATY: This holding company for Cathay Bank has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 10.2% over the last 60 days.

Cathay General Bancorp Price and Consensus

Cathay General Bancorp price-consensus-chart | Cathay General Bancorp Quote

This Zacks Rank #1 company has a dividend yield of 3.25%, compared with the industry average of 1.80%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 3.13%.

Cathay General Bancorp Dividend Yield (TTM)

Cathay General Bancorp dividend-yield-ttm | Cathay General Bancorp Quote

City Holding Company CHCO: This holding company for City National Bank of West Virginia has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 8.4% over the last 60 days.

City Holding Company Price and Consensus

City Holding Company price-consensus-chart | City Holding Company Quote

This Zacks Rank #1 company has a dividend yield of 3.05%, compared with the industry average of 1.93%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.93%.

City Holding Company Dividend Yield (TTM)

City Holding Company dividend-yield-ttm | City Holding Company Quote

See the full list of top ranked stocks here.

Find more top income stocks with some of our great premium screens.

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July 30 (Reuters) – BHP Group Ltd said on Friday it would build two solar farms and a battery storage system in partnership with Canada's TransAlta Renewables Inc at its nickel project site in Western Australia.

The global miner said the project will help reduce carbon emissions by 12% compared with 2020 levels at its Mt Keith and Leinster operations, where power is currently being generated through diesel and gas turbines.

The proposed solar farms will also help produce sustainable low-carbon nickel used in electric-vehicle batteries, BHP said, for which the company signed a supply agreement with Tesla Inc last week.

The project will contribute to the miner's medium-term target to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions from its assets by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, it said. (https://bit.ly/3rFGxHk)

BHP said the construction of the farms is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2022 and would take 12 to 14 months for completion. (Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)