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Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation, owners of a 15% stake in the Iron Ore Company of Canada, said it earned second-quarter net income of $48.2 million or 75 cents per unit from its investment, down from $69.3 million or $1.08 per unit in the same 2010 period.
The company’s stapled units started trading on a 2:1 split basis on the Toronto Stock Exchange on June 28, 2011 and lost 10c to close at $32.01 in Toronto on Wednesday. Investors have put a value of $4.1 billion on the company.
Press Release: On July 1, 2011 the 2-for-1 split of the stapled units approved by the unitholders on May 30, 2011, became effective. The stapled units started trading on a split basis on the Toronto Stock Exchange on June 28, 2011. Accordingly, all per unit figures in this report are based on 64 million units outstanding rather than the 32 million in previous statements, with all prior per unit figures being restated.
Royalty income for the second quarter of 2011 amounted to $37.8 million as compared to $52.1 million for the second quarter of 2010. The unitholder’s cash flow from operating activities after adjustments for changes in amounts receivable, accounts payable and income taxes payable (adjusted cash flow) for the second quarter was $23.0 million or $0.36 per unit as compared to $30.5 million or $0.48 per unit for the same period in 2010. Net income was $48.2 million or $0.75 per unit compared to $69.3 million or $1.08 per unit for the same period in 2010. Equity earnings from IOC amounted to $30.4 million or $0.48 per unit as compared to $46.7 million or $0.73 per unit in 2010. Had the price adjustments which occurred in the second quarter of 2010 and related to the first quarter not been included, 2010 royalty income would have been reduced by $10.4 million or $0.33 per unit and equity earnings from IOC by $14.2 million or $0.44 per unit. Without the inclusion of these amounts, second quarter of 2010 net income would have been $0.84 per unit and adjusted cash flow $0.38 per unit.
Prior to the July 1, 2010 conversion of Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation (“LIORC”) from an income trust, the net income of the unitholders was the same as the trust’s net income. Since the unitholders now own the $248 million LIORC subordinated notes directly, the net income of the unitholders consists of the net income of LIORC plus the interest paid on the LIORC subordinated notes. Thus all net income, adjusted cash flow and per unit figures referred to in this report use the totals according to the financial statements plus (where applicable) the $7,488,000 ($0.117 per stapled unit) and $14,976,000 ($0.234 per stapled unit) interest on the subordinated notes for the three months and six months period ended June 30, 2011, respectively.
Royalty income for the quarter was slightly below the adjusted second quarter of 2010 due to lower IOC sales and a higher Canadian dollar (against its U.S. counterpart) offset by higher iron ore prices in 2011. The lower IOC sales were the result of a shortage of products due to production shortfalls and timing of shipments.
