Southern Copper Corporation SCCO reported third-quarter 2024 earnings of $1.15 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.12. The bottom line marked a 46% improvement from the year-ago quarter, mainly driven by higher sales volumes for copper, molybdenum, silver and zinc and higher prices for all metals (except molybdenum). SCCO’s strict cost control efforts also contributed to the earnings improvement.  SCCO reported net sales of $2.9 billion, up 17% from the year-ago quarter, driven by higher sales volumes of all its products. The figure missed the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Southern Copper’s Sales Volumes & Margins Up Y/Y in Q3

Southern Copper reported a 50.1% year-over-year surge in zinc sales volumes.  Molybdenum volumes were up 5.7%, silver volumes improved 19% and copper sales volumes were up 7.7%. The rise in sales volumes as well as higher prices for copper (10%), zinc (14.5%) and silver (24.7%) also drove the increase in sales. Meanwhile, molybdenum prices were down 8%.

The cost of sales rose 4% year over year to $1.22 billion. Total operating costs were up 3% year over year to $1.48 billion.

Southern Copper Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS SurpriseSouthern Copper Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Southern Copper Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Southern Copper Corporation Quote

Operating profit was $1.45 billion, reflecting a 36% year-over-year improvement. The operating margin was 49.5% compared with 42.7% in the year-ago quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA jumped 30.5% year over year to $1.68 billion. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 57.5%, a 600-basis point expansion from the year-ago quarter.

SCCO’s Q3 Production Details

Copper: SCCO mined 252,219 tons of copper, up 11.5% year over year. This was driven by an increase in production at  its open pit operations. Copper sales were up 7.7% year over year to 242,028 tons.

Molybdenum: The company mined 7,271 tons of molybdenum, reflecting a year-over-year improvement of 6%, driven by higher output at Cuajone, Toquepala and Buenavista mines. Molybdenum sales were 7,327 tons, a 5.7% increase from the third quarter of 2023.

Zinc: The company’s zinc production surged 91% year over year to 31,078 tons, attributed to the contribution from the new Buenavista zinc concentrator. Zinc sales jumped 50% year over year to 37,355 tons.

Silver: Southern Copper’s silver production was up 21.5% year over year to 5.34 million ounces. This was driven by growth at all its operations, with the exception of the La Caridad mine. Sales increased 19% year over year to 5.26 million ounces.

SCCO’s Cash Flow & Balance Sheet Updates

Southern Copper generated net cash from operating activities of around $1.44 billion, up from $1.05 billion in the year-ago quarter. Cash and cash equivalents were $2.65 billion at the end of the quarter compared with $1.15 billion as of the end of 2023. Long-term debt was $5.76 billion as of Sept. 30, 2024, lower than the debt balance of $6.25 billion as of Dec. 31, 2023.

SCCO made capital investments worth $792 million in the first nine-month period of 2024, which is 5.2% higher than the spending in the year-ago period.

Southern Copper Stock’s Price Performance

Shares of Southern Copper have gained 61.4% in the past year compared with the industry’s 48% growth.

Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

How Did SCCO’s Peer Perform in Q3?

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. FCX recorded profits (attributable to common stock) of $526 million, or 36 cents per share, in the third quarter, up around 16% from $454 million, or 31 cents, in the year-ago quarter.

Barring one-time items, adjusted earnings per share were 38 cents, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 40 cents.

Freeport-McMoRan’s revenues rose roughly 17% year over year to $6,790 million. The figure surpassed the consensus estimate of $6,459.6 million. The results were driven by higher copper and gold prices in the quarter.

SCCO’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Southern Copper currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are IAMGOLD Corporation IAG and DuPont de Nemours, Inc. DD, both currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

IAMGOLD is scheduled to release third-quarter results on Nov. 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IAG’s earnings is pegged at 11 cents per share, which indicates a turnaround performance from the loss of 1 cent per share in the year-ago quarter. It beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 200%. Its shares have risen roughly 139% in the past year.

DuPont is slated to release third-quarter results on Nov. 5. The consensus estimate for DD’s earnings is pegged at $1.03 per share, which indicates 12% year-over-year growth. DD beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 11.9%. The company's shares have gained roughly 16% in the past year.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) : Free Stock Analysis Report

DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DD) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Iamgold Corporation (IAG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research