Why Rio Alto Shares Sank

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of resource miner Rio Alto Mining plunged as low as 10% today after its quarterly results and outlook disappointed Wall Street.

So what: The stock has slumped over the past year weak resource demand, and today's Q2 results -- net loss of $3.2 million or $0.02 per share -- coupled with downbeat full-year guidance only confirm those operating headwinds. While gold production and sales of 48,467 ounces exceeded mine plan expectations by 11%, low gold prices continue to weigh heavily on the bottom line and, more importantly, management's future development plans.

Now what: While Rio Alto expects to meet its year-end gold production guidance of 190,000-210,000 ounces, it also plans to cut back significantly on spending. "[G]iven the current lower gold price environment, we have reduced capital spending plans to those items with short payback periods or necessary for health, safety, environmental and community relations programs," said President and CEO Alex Black. "We also continue to focus on cost reduction opportunities and improving efficiencies throughout our operations." So while Rio Alto's leverage to volatile gold and copper prices make it far too risky for average Fools, less risk-averse investors might want to use today's plunge to buy into its still-tantalizing Latin American exposure.

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The article Why Rio Alto Shares Sank originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Brian Pacampara has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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