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Barrick Raises Dividend on Back of Strong Cash Position

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Barrick Gold Corporation
Barrick Gold Corporation

First Quarter 2022 Results
All amounts expressed in US dollars

TORONTO, May 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) today announced a $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, the first to include a $0.10 per share performance component in line with its new dividend policy.

President and chief executive Mark Bristow said the Company’s net cash balance at the end of Q1 stood at $743 million, reflecting cash flow from the operations, the continuing sale of non-core assets, and its share of a further $0.6 billion in cash distributions by Kibali.

Since agreement on the repatriation of revenue from Kibali was reached with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year, Kibali has delivered $1.2 billion (on a 100% basis) in the form of dividends and debt repayments, inclusive of distributions received subsequent to March 31, 2022.

Bristow said as guided earlier, Q1 was a softer quarter, particularly when compared to Q4 of 2021, which included a record-breaking performance from Nevada Gold Mines. With a stronger performance expected in the second half of the year, Barrick remains on track to meet its 2022 production guidance.

Highlights of the quarter included the framework agreement with Pakistan on restarting the Reko-Diq copper-gold project. Bristow is scheduled to meet the country’s new prime minister later this month to review progress.

Also significant was the progress made in securing a new tailings storage facility for the Pueblo Viejo project in the Dominican Republic. The project is designed to unlock approximately 9 million ounces of measured and indicated resources and convert them into additional proven and probable reserves, extending the mine’s life by more than 20 years.13

“Barrick controls what are unquestionably the mining industry’s best gold assets as well as some substantial copper mines. Reko Diq is one of the largest undeveloped copper-gold porphyry deposits in the world, and if the conditions to closing are satisfied, it will be a very significant addition to this portfolio, even before it goes into production, by boosting reserves and resources as the updated feasibility study unfolds,” Bristow said.

“In addition to its size and quality, Barrick’s asset base is distinguished by our continued success in more than replacing the reserves depleted by mining through brownfields exploration. At the same time, we continue to hunt for new Tier One assets across our expanding global footprint. The past quarter again produced promising results from all regions, with significant new potential identified in Nevada, Argentina and Africa’s Loulo district.”