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Transcript Summary

Wesdome Gold Mines delivered record financial results in Q1 2026, achieving revenue of $300 million and a 42% free cash flow margin of $126 million. The company is debt-free with liquidity exceeding $770 million. Operationally, Eagle River is scaling toward 1,000 tonnes per day, while Kiena is nearing a critical inflection point with the imminent ramp breakthrough to Kiena Deep and the integration of the Presqu'ile Zone. Exploration is a primary driver, with a massive 270,000-meter drilling program currently underway that has already identified six new high-grade lenses at Kiena. Management is shifting away from a short-term reserve replacement mindset toward a systematic organic growth strategy, the details of which will be revealed in updated technical reports in late June. Despite industry-wide labor tightness and high contractor costs, Wesdome is aggressively returning capital to shareholders, completing a $49 million buyback in Q1 and announcing a second tranche for up to 3 million more shares. With production expected to ramp up in the second half of the year, Wesdome maintains its full-year guidance and remains focused on creating long-term value through its prospective land packages in Ontario and Quebec.

5-year share-count history (top 10 holders by peak, incl. exited) + price

Full Earnings Call Transcript — Q1 • 2026-05-13

Operator: Good morning. Welcome to Wesdome Gold Mines conference call to discuss the company's financial and operating results for the 3 months ended March 31, 2026. As a reminder, this call is being recorded. Your host for today is Trish Moran, Wesdome's Vice President of Investor Relations. Ms. Moran, please go ahead.
Trish Moran: Thank you, operator, and good morning, everyone. Before we get started, I'd like to point out that during today's call, we may make forward-looking statements as defined under Canadian securities law. I ask that you view our slide presentation for cautionary language regarding forward-looking statements and the risk factors pertaining to these statements. Please note that all figures discussed on this call are in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted. Our press release, MD&A and financial statements are available both on SEDAR+ and on our corporate website, wesdome.com. With us on today's webcast is Anthea Bath, Wesdome's President and CEO; Phil Yee, our Chief Financial Officer; Tyler Mitchelson, our COO; Jono Lawrence, SVP, Exploration and Resources; Raj Gill SVP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations; and Kevin Lonergan, SVP Technical Services. Following management's formal remarks, we will then open the call for questions. And now over to Anthea.
Anthea Bath: Thank you, Trish, and good morning to everyone. Support of my strong production, Q1 was a company best with record revenue, net income, EBITDA and operating cash flow. We generated $126 million in free cash flow and closed the period with over $430 million in cash even after repurchasing nearly $50 million of our owned shares. Beyond financial results, we are making meaningful progress on initiatives that will drive long-term value for this company. Safety remains foundational. Across both Eagle River and Kiena, we are building on a strong track record with continuous improvement programs firmly in place at each site. At Eagle River, the strategy is working. We're expanding operational flexibility by opening more mining areas. Combined with better stope productivity and higher mill utilization, this should translate into lower unit costs as fixed costs are spread over higher output. The results are showing up a steady production and a strong operating cash margin. At Kiena, the operational improvements implemented over the past year are starting to translate into tangible results. Increasing operational flexibility, including the breakthrough of the ramp within the next week, combined with feed from the New Presqu'ile Zone marks an important inflection point for this mine. With many more stopes available at any given time, Kiena is progressing toward a more stable, consistent and predictable operating profile and unlocking its capacity to grow. Exploration is a core pillar of this Wesdome growth story. And in 2026, we are leaning in, drilling more than 270 kilometers. The news flow has started with a release detailing high-grade growth at Kiena and at the end of March and another update on the global model work at Eagle River earlier this week. We closed the quarter with an exploration teaching designed to give the market a clearer deeper line of sight into the long-term prospectivity of our large land packages. With over 220 targets, many of which were in categories with a high relative probability of conversion, one thing is very clear. There's a lot more to discover and I have no doubt we'll be mining for decades to come. As we look ahead to the updated technical reports for both Eagle River and Kiena this summer, I want to be clear about what these updates represent and why they matter. What the market will see in our late June release is the first tangible and quantifiable output of a deliberate plan to transform Wesdome, a plan that was set in motion nearly 3 years ago. Historically, our operations were managed around relatively short reserve lives, even though both assets sit within highly prospective mineral systems. The limitation was never geology, it was the scale of exploration and the long-term investment required to fully unlock these assets. We made a conscious decision to change the company's approach, shifting from short-term replacement toward a more growth-oriented and systematic approach, an approach designed to establish a visible organic growth pipeline. The updated technical reports will demonstrate the first tangible outcome of that strategy. At Eagle River, our focus has been twofold. First, to add reserves to the upper sections of the mine to incrementally increase tonnes, to extend mine life and to maximize effective utilization of an existing processing infrastructure. While adding high grade will always be our priority, our drilling programs are also targeting areas close to infrastructure, where we can add additional economic tenants that can be brought into the mine plan efficiently and at a relatively low discovery cost. These areas, while lower in grade than the high-grade [indiscernible] zone are still economic. They improve operational flexibility, and most importantly, they provide a top-up mill feed that can cost effectively support the pursuit of high-grade targets in the pipeline across multiple areas in the mine. The second focus of Eagle River has been on deepening our understanding of the high-grade system. We believe Eagle River has the potential to evolve beyond its historic 3-year reserve life by unlocking additional areas where shallower high-grade extensions are increasingly probable. Over time, this has the potential to improve ounce density per vertical meter and enhance the overall quality and flexibility of the mine plan. At Kiena, the objectives have been slightly different. While we continue to seek opportunities to replace high-grade depletion, we also see opportunity across the land package to identify new mining fronts, including Level 33 and across the northern corridor of this property. The updated technical work at Kiena will demonstrate progress in rebuilding that high-grade inventory while advancing the pipeline of opportunities that can support higher throughput and production growth over the longer term. So while Eagle River is currently focused on adding incremental ounces and operational flexibility, Kiena is focused on strengthening and expanding its pipeline, 2 different priorities, reflecting 2 different assets at different stages, but both aligned with building longevity, improving consistency and creating a stronger foundation for sustainable value creation. It's important to remember that what we report in June is a snapshot in time, reflecting drilling only through the end of 2025, and it's really just the beginning. We're now well into the second year of a multi-exploration program. As drilling intensity increases and our geologic understanding deepens, we are systematically building the platform to do far more than extend mine life. We are laying the foundation to reshape Wesdome's long-term growth profile and ultimately to redefine what this company can become. And I'm pleased to say that we can pursue and fund exploration, unlocking the full potential of our large prospective land packages, all while returning -- continuing to return capital to our shareholders. Last evening's announcement that we're proceeding to a second tranche and our share buyback program is a direct reflection of that confidence. And with that, I'll hand over to Phil to walk you through the first quarter financial highlights.
Philip Yee: Thank you, Anthea. Good morning, everyone. Turning to Slide 7. Q1 2026 marks another record quarter as strong gold prices and solid production continued a 2-year trend of sequential financial growth. Record results this quarter included revenue of $300 million, net income of $119 million or $0.79 per share, EBITDA of $212 million and operating cash flow of $162 million and free cash flow of $126 million or $0.84 per share. Our free cash flow as a percentage of revenue is 42% and ranks among the highest in the gold sector. Margin expansion is a priority for Wesdome irrespective of gold price as the company delivers initiatives designed to reduce costs. Turning to costs on Slide 8. On a consolidated basis, all-in sustaining cost per ounce of gold sold was USD 1,707 per ounce. AISC at Eagle River was $1,616 per ounce, while Kiena was $1,844 per ounce, each driven by higher contractor, consultant and maintenance consumable costs. The primary cost pressure point across the business is higher wages given the competitive labor environment. We are also monitoring broader industry inflation in fuel and consumables. And while our exposure is not material and availability is not a concern currently, we are taking proactive steps to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions. Corporate G&A of $10 million in Q1 was in line with plan for Q1 and is expected to decrease in subsequent quarters. We are maintaining full year consolidated production and cost guidance. Moving to Slide 9. To support your modeling, I want to summarize where we are after the first quarter. Eagle River production is expected to be evenly distributed across all 4 quarters. Kiena's Q1 was the lightest quarter with approximately 60% of annual production weighted to the second half of the year, supported by the ramp-up at Presqu'ile. Consolidated AISC is expected to peak in Q2, then decline as savings from supply chain initiatives are realized. Both sustaining and growth CapEx remain in line with guidance for the year. Depreciation is expected to decline following publication of our updated mineral resource and reserve statement at the end of June as it is calculated as a percentage of 2P reserves. Exploration expense guidance is on track for $30 million for the year, $15 million per site at Eagle River and Kiena. And our effective tax rate on pretax income remains at 35%. Turning to Slide 10. As of March 31, 2026, our cash balance grew to $431 million, even after deploying $49 million to repurchase our shares at a substantial discount to where the shares are trading today. Including our revolving credit facility, which is fully undrawn, total liquidity now exceeds CAD 770 million, and we expect this to continue strengthening throughout the year. Our balance sheet remains debt-free, and we are deploying capital with discipline, investing $205 million in CapEx this year with approximately 45% directed to growth and a record $55 million exploration budget. In April, we completed the first tranche of our NCIB, repurchasing 3 million shares for $68 million. As announced last night, we are proceeding with a second tranche to repurchase up to an additional 3 million shares. Given our strong and growing cash generation, we are well positioned to execute on our organic growth plans, preserve operational and strategic flexibility and continue returning meaningful capital to shareholders. With that, I'll turn it over to Tyler to review operations.
Tyler Mitchelson: Thank you, Phil, and good morning, everyone. First quarter was solid across both sites. Starting with safety, we had zero lost time incidents and a total recordable incident frequency rate improved 13% year-over-year. As our programs mature, we are enhancing our focus on critical controls and nonnegotiable standards as they relate to potential high-risk incidents. Across both sites, people remain our biggest challenge, but also our biggest opportunity. Attracting and retaining quality talent is a top priority and its importance to safety, operational stability and cost control cannot be understated. Moving to Slide 12. In Q1, Eagle River performed in line with expectations, delivering 28,000 ounces, roughly 25% of the full year guidance midpoint. Average grade came in at 12.5 grams per tonne as anticipated, reflecting planned mine sequencing and processing of 11,000 tonnes from the low-grade stockpile. We are starting to see some of the results of our global model work coming into production. Opportunistic planning of incremental lower grade areas is providing more tonnes to the mine plan for the rest of the year. Furthermore, we can also measure the productivity improvements from this material. Net of one-off costs, we're seeing a direct reduction in our cost per tonne, proving to us the strategy is working. Strategic initiatives undertaken at both the mine and the mill are starting to pay off. Mill throughput has been increasing on a fairly consistent basis, averaging approximately 800 tonnes per day compared to an average of 600 in 2024 and 700 in 2025. Stope productivity is improving, up more than 20% quarter-over-quarter and trending upward. Proactive maintenance is now fully embedded site-wise with 80% or better schedule compliance. This is in line with industry best practices and is driving measurable reliability gains. The path to 1,000 tonnes per day is clear to us. To get there, underground flexibility is our top priority and required processes, equipment and infrastructure are being put in place. As part of our longer-term strategy, we continue to invest in key projects at Eagle River and capital spending is stepping up through the second and third quarter. We are making a critical investment in a full camp replacement, something that will dramatically increase our ability to attract and retain talent at Eagle River. And as an added benefit, replacing camp will allow us to realize significant operational savings as we consolidate 13 separate structures into one building. We are also gearing up to support higher throughput rates and increase scale in the years ahead with additional capital for targeted power and tailings improvements. After a few months in this role, what is immediately evident to me is the breadth and depth of the team at Eagle. Strong on-site leadership and a mindset of continuous improvement gives me confidence in our ability to execute on our long-term strategy. Moving to Slide 13. Kiena is off to a solid start in 2026, producing 17,500 ounces in what we anticipate will be the softest quarter of the year. With the receipt of the Presqu'ile operating permit in January, we have begun processing development ore and stockpiles, contributing more than 2,000 ounces of ore. Overall process grades were in line with our reserve grade, averaging 10 grams per tonne for the quarter. I'm pleased to report that the ramp connection to Kiena Deep is imminent. With this, we will have a second means of accessing the mine, which materially reduces the risk associated with having our shaft as a single point of entry and represents another major milestone for the operational flexibility at Kiena. Ventilation room development continues to progress with fan installation and commissioning targeted for around year-end. This marks the last step in creating operational headroom we need to capture new opportunities underground. And importantly, capital spend at Kiena tapers off in the second half as both the ramp and the ventilation programs are brought to completion. Beyond the ramp, we've done a lot of work to create operational flexibility, and we now have 3 active mining horizons in Kiena Deep, up from 1 just a year ago. The impact was tangible in Q1. For the first time, we marked 2 stopes simultaneously, a meaningful step forward that reflects several quarters of deliberate targeted work. We also just started mining our one, Level 136, giving us a third level open in Kiena Deep concurrently, a major milestone by any measure. In addition, we are developing at Presqu'ile with production ramping up through the back half of the year. And with new underground drifts in place, we are seeing noticeably more effective drilling across the operation. As a result, stability is beginning to take hold, equipment delays have been dramatically reduced, allowing us to shift our focus towards productivity. This reflects the impact of several quarters of sustained work to improve our maintenance processes, and we're seeing that translate into stronger equipment availability. Since rolling out our operating model this quarter, operating delays relative to previous year's performance are down 70%, a clear indicator that the changes we're making are working. For the balance of 2026, our priority is to embed these operating processes, tighten our schedule adherence and continue reducing variability across the operation. Looking ahead, Q2 is off to a strong start. Production ramped up through March and exceeded 7,000 ounces in April. Development rates at Presqu'ile has accelerated. First stope is being prepared for mining before the end of Q2, our first near-term surface ore body at camp. We currently have a high-grade stockpile of development ore from Presqu'ile and expect to process it over the next few weeks, delivering a step change over Q1. Full production from Presqu'ile is expected by year-end. I'm genuinely seeing the impact that leadership stability is bringing to the operation. Kiena is stabilizing, and it is progressing towards the operation we know it can become. There is still work ahead of us, we're addressing it systematically one item at a time. Boxes are being tipped, projects are being delivered, Kiena is on track and we are confident in the plan. I'd like to make one final comment on cost before I pass across to Jono. As mentioned at the beginning, the importance of labor availability to cost cannot be understated. Continued tightness in the labor market, not just in Val d'or, across the industry is driving our reliance on contractors to supplement our labor needs. This is not new. Over the last several years, we've been working actively on our attraction and retention programs, and these continue to be a top priority. Our commitment to transitioning labor to our own employees is resolute, but it will take time. And now over to Jono for exploration.
Jono Lawrence: Thank you, Tyler, and good morning, everyone. 2026 is a landmark year for exploration. We're drilling more than 270,000 meters, up significantly from 200,000 meters in 2025. Our new hybrid strategy balances reserve replacement with growth across all time horizons, keeping the pipeline full and mineral inventories moving in the right direction. We're not just drilling more, we're drilling smarter. Data integration and technology are driving how we identify geologic patterns, mineralization trends and resource gaps. On March 30, we hosted our 2-hour analyst teaching, walking through our evolving strategy, growing target pipeline and the disciplined process behind our resource growth and new discoveries. Our 2026 exploration program is off to a strong start to Eagle River, with results to date supporting resource growth and conversion potential. Slide 15 highlights the progress made in 2 key zones, 6 Central and the adjacent 800 Zone. In 6 Central, 4 holes tested the down plunge extension of the high-grade shoot and the results delivered. We confirmed a further 100-meter extension, bringing the total to 700 meters since discovery in late 2024. At the 800 Zone, 11 holes focused on infill and conversion demonstrated great continuity at depth and sharpening our confidence in the zone's geometry and grade distribution. Critically, both zones, including the high-grade shoots, remain open at depth, making them a priority focus for high-grade reserve replacement. We've also been drilling deep surface holes beneath both zones to test the continuity, and we plan to issue an update on these results in the coming weeks. Turning to Slide 16, a look at our global model outcomes. Last year, we drilled over 40,000 meters on global model targets. Since the start of this year, we've added another 16,000 meters. Of the 32 initial targets, 9 remain untested or partially tested and the number of targets outside existing resources continues to evolve as the program advances. This year, we're planning 80,000 to 90,000 meters of conversion drilling, which includes targets outside the global model. One example stands as a strong demonstration of what this program can deliver, the 711 Zone. In Q1, we targeted a previously untested portion of the 711 centrally located in the mine with established underground access and at intermediate depths, a textbook global model target, 17 holes later with confirmed continuity and high-grade mineralization with multiple intercepts over 10 grams per tonne. Confirming not just mineralization, but continuity and high grades is particularly encouraging, especially in a mine with 30 years of production history. This area remains open, and we're pushing to bring it into the mine plan in the short to medium term. Before leaving Eagle River, there are other areas that are growing. Firstly, Falcon 311. Drilling has identified potential mineralization extending 100 meters to the west and 150 meters down deep. Secondly, at the 711 zone, we've confirmed continuity in the base. And thirdly, at Falcon 720, drilling has improved confidence in geometry with the zone remaining open at depth, towards surface and to the west. Together, these results strengthen our confidence in near-term conversion opportunities and the broader resource growth potential at Eagle River. Looking ahead, we will be releasing results from some of our longest drill holes to date, extending more than 1,500 meters from surface. We plan to publish these proof-of-concept results ahead of our June technical report release. Moving to Kiena, the completion of the exploration platform on Level 134 has been truly transformative, improving drilling angles and significantly reducing drill hole distances into Kiena Deep and the B zones. In Q1, we announced the discovery of 6 new lenses at Kiena, a direct outcome of enhanced drilling access. Three of these new lenses were identified in Kiena Deep, one the A2 structure and 2 in the Footwall Zone. Beyond the new lens discoveries, we've also seen increased continuity of both known lenses in Kiena Deeps and Footwall Zone with expanded vertical and lateral extents. We expect this to drive meaningful mineralization growth in Kiena Deeps over the medium term, translating into higher ounces per vertical meter. Exploration drilling at Kiena Deep has continued during the quarter with holes now testing a previously reported intercept on the far side of the Norbenite Fault. And a historical drill hole in this area intercepted more than 80 meters at 10 grams per tonne, and we have been actively following up around that intercept. Drilling through the Norbenite Fault presents technical challenges. However, a discovery in this area would be generally transformative for the asset. We look forward to providing an update to the market later this year. To Slide 18, we announced the discovery of 3 new lenses at B Zone in Q1, along with the identification of high-grade mineralization within the zone. Continued drilling and improved angles have allowed us to interpret -- reinterpret the zone. We're now modeling it as 4 distinct lenses rather than a single lower-grade lens. We've also identified a corridor of higher-grade intercepts that has the potential to improve the economics of the zone. This area is a high priority given its proximity to existing infrastructure adjacent to Kiena Deep. Should we define economic mineralization here, the path to production would be relatively straightforward. A brief update on the remainder of the Kiena program. Drilling has commenced at the VC zone, another prospective ore source located near underground infrastructure. And we completed 10 surface holes at a target South of the Kiena mine in an area with geology analogous to the Malartic mine. Look for updates on both programs in the coming months. Our surface exploration program is set to ramp up in the coming weeks as seasonal conditions improve. Surface rigs have been mobilized to Shawkey will be planned to drill for several months through the summer. We're also looking forward to deploying our barge mounted drills at Northwest, Wesdome, [indiscernible] and Dubuisson. There's a great deal of activity ahead, and we'll keep the market informed as the results come in. Operator, you may now open the line for questions.
Operator: [Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from the line of Luke Bertozzi from CIBC.
Luke Bertozzi: Congratulations on the strong quarter. I'd just like to get a sense of the cadence of buybacks going forward. I believe in the past, you viewed the buyback as an opportunity to repurchase shares when they're trading below net asset value. Does that continue to be the view? Or should we expect buybacks to continue regardless of share price fluctuation?
Philip Yee: Luke, it's Phil. Yes, I would say the strategy going forward is really to be opportunistic as we have in the past based on NAV per share. And as you know, we've announced the second tranche. And as we continue to grow our cash, I would say that we will continue to look at further opportunities as well.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Allison Carson from Desjardins.
Allison Carson: My first question is just on Kiena. It's great to hear that things are ramping up at Presqu'ile. Can you give us a little bit more detail on the contribution we should expect from Presqu'ile in Q2 in terms of production?
Anthea Bath: Yes. Sure. So I am handing over to Tyler for this one.
Jono Lawrence: Yes, as we go into Q2, we're going to start the stoping actually at the end of June. So we'll see the ramp up. Generally, you'll see a 60-40 split between Kiena Deep and Presqu'ile towards the end of the year so...
Allison Carson: So will we get any production from Presqu'ile in Q2, though? You said you were going to process some low grades -- or some of the stockpiles as well?
Tyler Mitchelson: Yes. We're continuing to do development in Q2. So we're pulling development ore in the first stope should be coming out the second part of Q2.
Allison Carson: Okay. Great. And then my next question is also on shareholder capital return. It's great to see you expanding the NCIB. Are you looking at linking your capital return program to anything like a percentage of free cash flow in the future?
Philip Yee: Allison, it's Phil. I mean the focus right now is really on the second tranche of the NCIB and to be consistent from a -- as I mentioned earlier, we look at being opportunistic in that program. And then as we grow our cash, we'll look at other options to expand our capital allocation strategy. And we haven't finalized our approaches at this point yet, but obviously, all the various options are being considered. And I would say that's one of them.
Operator: [Operator Instructions] And there are no further questions. This does conclude today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.