Silvercorp Metals - Earnings Call - Q1 2026

Transcript

Speaker 1

Thank you for standing by. Good afternoon. My name is Ina, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Silvercorp First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results Conference Call. All lines have been taped on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speaker's remarks, there will be a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question during this time, simply press star, then the number one on your telephone keypad. If you would like to withdraw your question, please press star, then the number two. Thank you. I would now like to turn the conference over to Mr. Lon Shaver, President of Silvercorp. Thank you. Please go ahead.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Ina. On behalf of Silvercorp Metals, I'd like to welcome everyone to this call to discuss our first quarter of fiscal 2026 financial results, which were released yesterday after the close. A copy of the news release, the MD&A, and the financial statements are available on our website and on CDAR Plus. Before we jump into the call, please note that certain statements on today's call will contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Also, please review the costing statements in our news release, as well as the risk factors described in our most recent regulatory filings. Let's kick off with the financial results. We delivered a solid Q1, which was highlighted by revenues of $81 million, up 13% from last year. Additionally, cash flow from operating activities set a new quarterly record at $48 million, which was up 21% from last year.

This performance was driven by a 5% and 95% increase in silver and gold sold during the quarter, respectively, and that was combined with a 12% and 45% rise in the selling prices of silver and gold compared to Q1 of last year. Silver remains our most significant revenue driver, contributing 66% of Q1 revenue, followed by lead at 18% and gold at 7%. Moving down the income statement, we reported a net income of $18.1 million for the quarter, or $0.08 per share. This was down from $21.9 million, or $0.12 per share, in Q1 fiscal 2025. In this year's quarter, we had a non-cash $5 million accounting charge on the fair value of derivative liabilities, which is related to the conversion rights of our convertible notes issued last November, as well as warrants.

Removing non-cash and one-time items, our adjusted net income for the quarter was $21 million, or $0.10 per share, compared to $20.6 million, or $0.11 per share in the comparative quarter. We'd like to point out that all per-share figures are lower due to an additional 38.8 million shares that were issued for the acquisition of Adventus Mining, which closed in July of 2024. Looking at cash flow, I mentioned the record cash flow from operating activities earlier. During the quarter, we invested over $18 million in our operations in China and $7.6 million in Ecuador to advance the El Domo construction and the Condor exploration plant. Even after these investments, we were able to generate $22.5 million in free cash flow. We ended the quarter with a strong cash position of $377 million, which is up $8 million from March.

This cash position does not include our investments in associates and other companies, which had a total market value of $72 million as of June 30th. We also had a stream financing commitment of $175 million available from Wheaton Precious Metals for the El Domo construction. Now to recap our operating results, as we reported in July, we produced in Q1 approximately 1.8 million ounces of silver, just over 2,000 ounces of gold, 16 million pounds of lead, and 5 million pounds of zinc. That represents increases of 6%, 79%, and 1%, respectively, in silver, gold, and lead production, and a 19% decrease in zinc production. On the cost side, Q1 production costs averaged $83 per tonne of grain, which is down 8% from last year due to higher volumes of ore mined and milled.

Consolidated cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, was $1.11 in Q1 compared to a negative $1.67 in the prior year quarter. The increase in the cash cost was driven by a $6 million increase in production costs that arose from a 16% increase in the ore processed, while silver production grew by only 6% due to lower grades experienced at Ying. It was also impacted by a $1.5 million increase in mineral rights royalties following its implementation in China in Q3 of fiscal 2025. The cash cost was partially offset by a $1 million increase in by-product credits. The all-in sustaining cost per ounce net of by-product was $13.49 per ounce. That's up 37% from the prior year quarter due to a $1 million increase in G&A expenses and the polysiments and factories that impacted cash costs.

On a more somber note, as we reported in our news release yesterday, we had an accident at the HZG mine in the Ying Mining District. This was a fatality of a newly hired worker. From our perspective, this incident never should have happened, and we extend our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased worker. The accident occurred earlier in Q1, but only came to our attention in July after a government investigation was launched following a whistleblower report. The investigation's been performed, some recommendations made, and some changes implemented at the mines during this period. During this period, certain mining areas have been closed. We've been awaiting regulatory sign-off to resume production in those closed areas, but this has taken a little longer.

It is possible the government has been preoccupied by some other tragic industrial accidents that have occurred recently and have attracted the attention of the public as well as the regulator. To be conservative, we have disclosed a potential production shortfall of up to 20% to 25% for the current quarter. However, in recent days, we began to receive clearance to reopen certain of these closed areas. We have been and remain committed to safety at our operations and will act on any findings or recommendations to strengthen safety protocols. In this case, the contractor contravened several rules by taking someone on an unsanctioned visit to an unapproved area that had not been properly cleared or approved to access, and then also, importantly, failing to properly report the incident both to us and to the regulators.

Turning to our growth projects, at Ying, we invested $8 million in Q1 for ramp and tunnel development to enhance underground access and materials handling to eventually phase out track in favor of a trackless system. This is a program we've discussed before and it remains in progress. An additional $7 million was spent on exploration tunneling and $1 million on capitalized drilling as we continue to explore this district. At Quanping, the satellite project north of Ying, mine construction got underway with 481 meters of ramp development and exploration tunneling completed in the quarter. Turning to Ecuador, mine construction is progressing steadily at the El Domo project, with over 370,000 cubic meters of materials moved to date. Recall in June of last year, a group of individuals filed a lawsuit in Bolivar Province, where the project is located, seeking to void the environmental license for the mine.

The case was dismissed by the local court in July of last year, and the dismissal was upheld on appeal at the provincial level in November. The group then filed an extraordinary protection action with Ecuador's Constitutional Court, which was rejected in February of this year. A subsequent motion for clarification of this ruling was also unanimously dismissed by the Constitutional Court last month. Turning to Condor, the gold project, we drilled just over 2,000 meters in the quarter and released an updated mineral resource estimate in Q1. The latest model outlined a higher grade underground resource to Camp and LaCase deposits. This work will feed into a PEA, which we're targeting for completion by year-end, that will focus on an underground gold operation, and then we'll move forward from there. With that, I'd like to open the call for questions, operator.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question and answer session. Should you have a question, please press star 4 by the one on the telephone keypad. You will hear a response that your hand has been raised. If you feel this is a case of your request, please press star 4 by the two. If you're using a speaker phone, please lift your handset before pressing any keys. One moment, please, for your first question. Thank you. Your first question comes from the line of Joseph George Reagor from ROTH Capital Partners. Please go ahead.

Speaker 0

Hey, Lon, thanks for taking the questions. I guess the first thing, on the incident at Ying, obviously unfortunate. I guess first, is Silvercorp continuing to work with the contractor who made this error? Have you guys made any changes on that level? If there is a production shortfall, do we expect a relatively sized increase in cash costs for the quarter?

Speaker 2

The answer to the first question is that contractor is obviously a company, and so we're using that company at a number of locations in the mine. We're going to continue to do that, but that individual is gone. Being dismissed is sort of the least of their worries as this matter really is now in the hands of authorities. I think that addresses the first point. Just checking, it's a little early to say. I think we've been cautious and conservative with our potential impact on the quarter, but obviously we've got lots of working areas. We're going to adjust mine plans and strategies, not just for this quarter but for the balance of the year, and we'll provide an update when we have more information.

Speaker 0

Okay, maybe a different question then on that. Do you have a rough idea what percentage of your overall operating costs are fixed at Ying versus variable?

Speaker 2

Yeah, good question, Joe. It's been a while since we've run that analysis. Of course, we have made a number of, you know, some changes since that time. I'd have to go back and have a look at sort of where things stand now and rerun that analysis.

Speaker 0

Okay. Fair enough. I think we can try to maybe guess. The second question is, on Cooper Yang. Once that mine is in operation, will it be consolidated under Ying or treated as a separate mining location?

Speaker 2

I mean, it is a separate mining operation. It is owned, you know, through the Ying sort of operating structure. Obviously, as we've indicated, initial plans are putting that, you know, any ores, through the Ying mill. To be honest, I don't think it really makes much of a difference. It'll just be really another contributor to the overall corporate production.

Speaker 0

Okay. And then, one big picture question. Traditionally, Silvercorp Metals has traded at a discount towards tiered groups. It seems like recently that gap has widened. That's when we were curious, created, you know, significant premiums to now. Ha, ha, do you guys have any thoughts on what you can do to help close that gap, or is it just a matter of letting things play out to where your production grows over the coming years with the addition of Quanping and El Domo, and potentially things beyond that?

Speaker 2

I think it's important to recognize a big portion of our energy will be tied up in our cash position, and that's one question in terms of how the market views that. El Domo and potentially Condor are evidence of the strategy that's unfolding, which is to build a bigger and more diversified mining company. Our view is that and some other potential targets that we have been and are looking at right now would just further accelerate that shift.

Speaker 0

Okay. Fair enough. I'll turn it over. Thanks.

Speaker 2

Thanks. Thanks, Bill.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Your next question comes from the line of Dalton Baretto from Canaccord Genuity Corp. Please go ahead.

Speaker 3

Thanks, operator. Good morning. Lon, I'm wondering if you can give us a more wholesome update in terms of what's going on at El Domo these days from a construction perspective, and also how much of a concern these anti-mining groups are right now. Thanks.

Speaker 2

Production, sorry, construction has been moving ahead since the beginning of the year. Arguably, after what was a drought year last year, Ecuador experienced a very intense and prolonged rainy season. Not the best time to be building a mine, but we were able to start bringing in our initial contractor to start site preparation and have been making good progress on that. Our plans and our budgets are expecting a pretty meaningful ramp-up in tons of moves starting this month in August. It seems like the temporary camp, the components of that have been showing up on site, and we've been putting together those buildings. A number of items related to long lead-time orders have been put ahead with respect to mill components and things. I'd say we're ramping up, and the balance of this year, we expect to see things move ahead more dramatically. That's the second part.

The anti-mining groups have been, I'd say, an annoyance and an inconvenience but have not overly impacted our ability to get stuff done at the project. Having things like the camp installed and running on the site will further improve our progress because of less movement of people in and out of the site every day. We've made good progress, and everything is looking good at this point for that construction ramp-up and accelerate here through the end of the year and obviously onwards into 2026.

Speaker 0

Okay. Great. When do you plan on drawing down on these stream proceeds?

Speaker 2

We're anticipating either towards the end of this current quarter or early next quarter we'd be able to put in for an initial draw from Ying.

Speaker 0

Got it. Thanks. Maybe one last one on Ying, if I may. Price quotes as a Q1 silver production number. I just multiply it by four. It tracks the bar, gets needed below the bottom under your guidance. Now you've had this issue in Q2, and you always have service office quarter at Chinese New Year. Are you still comfortable with guidance?

Speaker 2

Yeah. It's a little early to address that question. Obviously, we're going to have to revamp and revisit some of the mine plans, both for this quarter and the rest of the year. I think we've got to let this quarter end and see what has been the true impact on production of this quarter before we would make any adjustment to guidance, if any. I figure you've obviously been following the company and understand the seasonality and that Q4, other than last year, given that we have an enhanced milling capacity. Q4 is typically the softest quarter, but we were able to change that last year. We'll have to look at what plans can be and what contributions from other sources like Quanping might be able to make up some of the difference.

Speaker 0

Okay. Thanks for that, Lon. I'll jump back in, Keith.

Speaker 2

Okay, thanks, Bill.

Speaker 1

Thank you. One second. Should you have a question, please press star 4 by the one on your telephone keypad. There are no further questions at this time. I will now hand the call back to Mr. Lon Shaver for any closing remarks.

Speaker 2

I'm not sure if you guys had follow-up questions. In case, I want to thank you, operator, and thank everyone for joining us today. If there are follow-up questions, obviously, please feel free to call or email us. As always, we'd be happy to respond. I look forward to hearing from you and look forward to catching up with everyone at our next quarterly update. Have a great day. Thank you.

Speaker 1

Thank you for this call. Thank you for participating. We all wish the best.