Aura Minerals Declares $0.72 Dividend, Yield Hits 4.3%

Aura Minerals declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.72 per common share, roughly US$60.4 million in total, based on second-quarter results. The payment goes out August 28 to holders of record August 18, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Brazilian BDR holders will receive US$0.24 per receipt, with payment expected around September 8 in reais.

CEO Rodrigo Barbosa called the first half the strongest in the company's history. Production reached 157,574 gold-equivalent ounces, up 27% from a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA for the first six months hit US$441 million, more than double the prior year's figure. The dividend, he said, sits above the minimum required under the company's policy, which calls for 20% of quarterly adjusted EBITDA minus sustaining and exploration capital spending.

The payout represents a dividend yield of about 4.3%, based on the Nasdaq closing price on the announcement date. That yield is on top of a separate US$200 million share repurchase program the company announced.

Aura operates six mines across the Americas. The assets include the Minosa mine in Honduras; Almas, Apoena, Borborema and MSG in Brazil; and Aranzazu, a copper-gold-silver mine in Mexico. The company is also advancing Era Dorada in Guatemala, Tolda Fria in Colombia, and the Matupá and Carajás projects in Brazil.

Barbosa said the company expects a stronger second half, supported by Aranzazu, Apoena, Borborema and MSG, and reiterated full-year guidance. Aura targets annual production above 600,000 gold-equivalent ounces.

The AlphaScala score for AUGO sits at 26 out of 100, labeled Weak, in the Basic Materials sector. The stock page is available here.