Molycorp tanking after wider loss

Frik Els | March 16, 2015 | 3:06 pm Battery Metals Rare Earth 
Molycorp tanking after wider loss

Stock of Molycorp (NYSE: MCP) tanked after hours Monday after fourth quarter and full year production numbers from the rare earth miner provided a nasty surprise to the Colorado company’s long-suffering investors.

Molycorp, a speculators’ favourite and highly volatile share, was trading down 13.5% after the release of the results which came in below expectations with the company reporting yet another loss for the quarter and a net loss of $2.70 per share for the 2014 financial year.

Molycorp announced fourth quarter rare earth production at its Mountain Pass, California facility rose sharply compared to the same period in 2013 and nearly doubled from the previous quarter, but falling sales volumes and realized prices translated into a revenue slide.

After briefly topping $1 a share in February – the threshold for keeping its listing on the New York Stock Exchange –  Molycorp was exchanging hands at $0.74 after the announcement, now down 85% compared to this time last year for a market value of $174 million.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • The Company reported higher production volumes in the fourth quarter of 2014 at its Mountain Pass, California rare earth facility, with 1,328 metric tons (“mt”) of rare earth oxide (“REO”) equivalent production. That compares to 1,034 mt in the fourth quarter of 2013 and 691 mt in the third quarter of 2014. Full year 2014 production at Mountain Pass totaled approximately 4,769 mt, compared to 3,473 mt in 2013.
  • The Chlor-Alkali plant at Mountain Pass is performing well and the Company is able to produce or purchase sufficient supplies of hydrochloric acid for rare earth production.
  • Per-unit cash production costs at Mountain Pass declined in the fourth quarter of 2014 to $21.02 per kilogram, a 38% decrease over third quarter 2014 costs of $33.80 per kilogram.
  • The Company reported fourth quarter product sales volume of 3,149 mt, a 6% decrease over the third quarter, at an average selling price (“ASP”) of $36.91 per kilogram. For the full year 2014, the Company reported sales volume of 13,019 mt, a 1% increase over 2013, at an ASP of approximately $36.53 per kilogram.
  • Net revenues for the quarter were $116.2 million, a 6% decrease from the third quarter. Full year 2014 net revenues were $475.6 million, a 14% decrease as compared to 2013.
  • The Company reported a net loss of $1.43 per share for the quarter. The Company reported a net loss of $0.39 per share for the quarter on an adjusted, non-GAAP basis.
  • For the full year 2014, the Company reported a net loss of $2.70 per share. On an adjusted non-GAAP basis, the Company reported a net loss of $1.31 per share for the full year, due largely to impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets and write-offs of certain tangible assets.

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Comments

  • Mark Harder

    I just read through mining.com ‘s report from Feb. and it reported a 44%
    gain in stock prices. The conclusion I reached was that
    Molycorp is indeed a volatile investment if the news changes this much from month to month. Wouldn’t the health of a serious source in a rare industrial commodity like REMs be positive in the long run? Of course, our industry is boom and bust, historically speaking, and Mountain Pass has been closed before..

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