OREANDA-NEWS. Mandalay Resources Corporation today announced revenue of $54.2 million, adjusted EBITDA of $22.1 million and consolidated net income before special items of $5.2 million, or $0.01 per share, for the second quarter of 2016. The Company’s unaudited consolidated interim financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2016, together with its Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) for the corresponding period. All currency references in this press release are in U.S. dollars except as otherwise indicated.

In accordance with the Company’s dividend policy, Mandalay’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $3.25 million (6% of the trailing quarter’s gross revenue), or $0.0072 per share (CDN$0.0094 per share), payable on September 1, 2016, to shareholders of record as of August 22, 2016.

The Company’s revenue rose to $54.2 million from $50.8 million in the second quarter of 2015 and adjusted EBITDA rose proportionately to $22.1 million from $18.2 million as a result of a strong operating quarter. Operational income before tax similarly increased to $13.5 million from $9.7 million in the prior year quarter. Consolidated net income, however, decreased to $3.6 million from $4.4 million in the second quarter of 2015 due to a combination of higher taxes and special items. Current taxes rose to $1.8 million in the current quarter from $0.4 million a year ago now that Costerfield has exhausted its tax loss carryforwards and is fully taxable on its earnings. Current quarter results also include the recognition of a $1.5 million deferred tax expense related to the Company’s acquisition for cancellation of the Cerro Bayo royalty in the first quarter of 2016.

Commenting on second quarter 2016 financial results, Dr. Mark Sander, President and CEO of Mandalay, noted, “Mandalay generated strong revenue and adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2016. Total production in the current quarter was 39,653 ounces of gold equivalent, only slightly less than the year-ago quarter production of 40,717 ounces of gold equivalent. Cash cost of production was slightly higher in the current quarter than in the second quarter of 2016 ($811 per ounce gold equivalent vs $771 per ounce gold equivalent in the year ago period). Therefore, the stronger financial results are due mostly to higher metal prices than in the second quarter of 2015. We ended the quarter with $45.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, up from $40.7 million at the beginning of the quarter, largely due to an increase in EBITDA.”

Dr. Sander continued, “During the second quarter of 2016, Costerfield continued its excellent operational and financial performance, producing its second highest quarterly total of 17,023 ounces of gold equivalent, at its second lowest cash cost of $530 per ounce of gold equivalent and an all-in cost of $772 per ounce of gold equivalent. Having completed the major capital items in the current life of mine plan at Costerfield, the operation now generates substantial free cash flow for the Company each quarter. We are working to extend the mine life through drilling lodes below the King Cobra fault, approximately 100 metres deeper than the current Cuffley workings, and by applying recent, sustainably lower operating costs to evaluation of resources already drilled in the Brunswick lode adjacent to the plant. Proceeds from our recent equity financing (see Mandalay July 26, 2016, press release) will be used in part to extend and infill resources in both Cuffley and Brunswick with the goal to increase mine life as much as possible by the end of the year.”

Dr. Sander added, “Our grade control program at Bj?rkdal continued to demonstrate success in the second quarter, during which we processed an average mill-reconciled grade of 1.43 grams per tonne gold, a record under Mandalay ownership. As a result, the mine delivered gold production of 12,648 ounces, also a record under Mandalay ownership. Despite record production, cash production cost rose to $821 per gold ounce, up 5% from the same quarter in the year prior. This is due largely to a rise in stripping ratios in the open pit and the increased operating development rate underground.

“We expect a further rise in average mill grades in the coming months and quarters from three key improvements. First is improving the developed state of the underground mine through continuing capital development at the target 200 meters per month rate; this is expected to open up more working faces at any given time to access veins above cutoff grade at a higher rate. Furthermore, we are planning to modestly reduce the cross sectional areas of both capital and on-vein development to shorten cycle times, reduce costs and improve development grades through lower dilution. Second is upgrading our open pit grade control process to include systematic channel sampling of veins exposed on the floor of mined benches to understand in more detail the distribution of grades in the bench below. Finally, continuing results of our pilot test of optical ore sorting suggests we can significantly upgrade low-grade material, incurring acceptable gold losses, so as to put an effective floor on the grade of material sent directly to the mill.

“Cerro Bayo production during the quarter was 3,818 ounces gold and 462,462 ounces silver, significantly lower, as expected, than in the second quarter of 2015 (5,361 ounces gold and 597,489 ounces silver) due to the limited developed state of the mine that we have previously disclosed. While mining and processing costs reached record lows in the current quarter, the low head grade of mined ore inevitably caused higher cash cost per ounce of production. We have continued developing the new Delia SE and Coyita mines and stoping has begun in both. An underground development contractor was mobilized to the Coyita mine, where the goal is to accelerate capital development with the objectives of first, opening up more working faces and faster, as the ramp descends in the northwest end of the vein and, second, tunneling under Laguna Verde to access the high-grade Coyita SE reserves as quickly as possible. These efforts are expected to result in improved metal production rates and lower unit production costs by the fourth quarter of this year and into 2017.

“Finally, we continued advancing our Challacollo development project during the quarter, completing a geophysical survey that has outlined significant new exploration targets while we await permission to drill for a new, acceptable source of water, which would be used for the eventual mine. We plan to drill these targets in the second half of 2016.”

Dr. Sander concluded, “At this time, midway through 2016, Mandalay wishes to highlight with respect to its guidance issued previously (see Mandalay November 5, 2015, press release) that it expects to produce at the upper end of the guidance range with respect to gold for the full year; at or above the upper end of its guidance range with respect to antimony; and below the low end of the guidance range with respect to silver. This metal-by-metal variability, due to the overperformance of Costerfield and underperformance at Cerro Bayo discussed above, is expected to balance out at the low end of total Company gold equivalent production guidance for the year. As well, the Board has approved unbudgeted exploration programs at all sites that will increase guided 2016 exploration spending by approximately $4 million, and the Board approved an unbudgeted flotation expansion project at Bj?rkdal projected to cost approximately $3.7 million.”

The increase in revenue and adjusted EBITDA during the second quarter of 2016 relative to the second quarter of 2015 were principally due to higher realized metal prices. (9.1% higher for gold, 22.0% higher for silver, and 18.4% lower for antimony). Compared to the second quarter of 2015, the strengthening of US dollar against the operational country exchange rates positively impacted the Company’s earnings - the Australian dollar declined by 4% in the second quarter of 2016 versus the same quarter of prior year, the Chilean peso declined by 10% and the Swedish krona appreciated by 2%. Petroleum prices were lower by 12% in US dollar terms.

During the second quarter of 2016, cash capex was approximately $2.9 million lower than in the same quarter of 2015. Virtually all of this decrease was due to completion of the life of mine capital program at Costerfield during the third quarter of 2015.

During the three months ended June 30, 2016, the Company distributed a total of $3.0 million in dividends.

Costerfield gold-antimony mine, Victoria, Australia

In the second quarter of 2016, Costerfield continued to mine and process high volumes of ore at low unit costs (36,818 tonnes mined at $146 per tonne and 39,548 tonnes processed at $37.44 per tonne). This excellent performance led to production of the second highest volume of gold equivalent (17,023 ounces gold equivalent) since Mandalay reopened the mine in late 2009, at the second lowest cash operating cost ($530 per ounce gold equivalent) since reopening. Spending on sustaining capital continued at a low rate, as major capital programs necessary for the current life of mine plan were completed in the third quarter of 2015.

Cerro Bayo silver-gold mine, Patagonia, Chile

In the second quarter of 2016, the Cerro Bayo delivered lower grades to the mill than in the previous year, resulting in lower silver and gold production. These low grades are a consequence of the deepest levels in the now-closed Dagny, Fabiola, and Yasna veins having delivered less ore tonnage than planned, as previously reported. Mining was terminated on these veins earlier than planned, before development and stoping had reached a steady state on the new Delia SE and Coyita veins. A mining contractor has been mobilized to focus on accelerating development on Coyita, and the Company expects grades and production to recover in the fourth quarter of 2016 and on into 2017.

The impact of lower production and sales during the current quarter at Cerro Bayo was partially offset by excellent control of operating costs and favorable exchange rate movement that resulted in record low unit mining costs (declining to $42.54 per tonne from $55.07 per tonne in 2015) and record low unit processing costs (declining to $18.63 per tonne from $22.30 per tonne in 2015). The net outcome was fewer ounces of silver produced at higher cash cost net of gold credits in the current quarter (462,462 ounces of silver at $8.45 per ounce) than in the second quarter of 2015 (597,489 ounces of silver at $7.61 per ounce). All-in cost per silver ounce net of gold credits was $16.54 in the second quarter of 2016, versus $14.84 in the corresponding quarter of 2015.