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Stratex International plc / Index: AIM / Epic: STI / Sector: Mining

 

Stratex International plc

(‘Stratex’ or ‘the Company’)

Final Results

 

Stratex International plc, the AIM-quoted gold exploration and development company focused on Turkey, East Africa and West Africa, is pleased to announce its results for the year ended 31 December 2015.

The results below are extracted from the Company’s audited financial statements which are available in full at the Company’s web site www.stratexinternational.com. Copies of the Company's Annual Report and Notice of AGM will be sent to shareholders in early April.

 

Operational Highlights:

· The Company entered a new phase in its existence with the start of production at the Altintepe gold mine in Turkey. Stratex has a 45% interest in the operation and undertook much of the early exploration work at the site. The first gold pour was achieved on 5 November 2015;

· Goldstone Resources Ltd ("Goldstone") (34% owned by Stratex) increased its interest in the Homase licence in Ghana from 65% to 90% on very favourable terms from its joint venture partner Cherry Hill Mining Company. Auger drilling west of the old Homase pit indicated two potentially new zones of mineralisation;

· Our partner Lodos completed a feasibility study at the Muratdere copper- molybdenum- gold project in Turkey as part of its commitment to earn into 70% of the project;

· Stratex’s 1% royalty on the Őksűt gold project, received as part of the consideration for the sale of a 30% interest in 2012, was sold to Centerra, the operator, for US$4.5 million.

 

Financial Overview:

· The Company and its subsidiaries (the "Group") realised a loss after tax for the year of £638k, which compares with a loss in 2014 of £2.5m;

· Administration costs, which includes all costs associated with exploration operations not capitalised, as well as office overheads, amounted to £2.1m , a 20% reduction over 2014. This reduction reflects the efforts during the year to cut costs across the board;

· The Company’s share of losses of associate companies, i.e. those enterprises where the Company has significant influence, but less than 50%  interest and has little or no management control, amounts to £1.37m , which compares to £86k in 2014. The increase is mainly attributable to Thani Stratex Resources Limited where the Company’s share of losses for the year amounted to £1.2m and includes an impairment write-off of £850k in respect of the Wadi Kareem project in Egypt;

· The sale of the Őksűt royalty generated £3m of cash and a similar amount of profit and resulted in a total cash balance for the Group at 31 December 2015 of £4.1m.

 


Chairman’s Statement

 

Stratex achieved some significant objectives in the year ended 31 December 2015, although the political and economic environment in which the mining industry operates continues to be uninspiring.

Mining share price indices have declined significantly, metal prices are weak, dividends are being cut and global economic growth remains patchy. Add to this the risk of terrorist activity from which no country seems immune and it is no surprise that the attitude of investors towards exploration and mining shares remains cool.

Stratex has made further progress in several key areas. Administration expenses, which include the UK, Turkey and Senegal together with 100% of Goldstone’s expenses, which we consolidate, were reduced by almost 20% compared with 2014. Other income of £2.8 million, compared with £190k last year, included the sale proceeds of the Öksüt royalty (US$4.5 million) whilst the share of losses of associates of £1.37 million (a non cash item) was the result of an impairment write-off in Thani Stratex Resources Ltd. The overall loss for the year was reduced to £638k (2014 loss: £2.5 million) resulting in a year end cash balance of £4.1 million.

Key developments during the year included the completion of a feasibility study by our partners Lodos on the Muratdere copper-gold porphyry project in Turkey and, most pleasingly, the first gold pour at our 45% owned gold mine, Altıntepe, in Turkey.

Management efforts at Altıntepe have been focused on overcoming the problems caused by unusually high levels of rainfall, which interfered with the completion of the heap leach pad. Added to the delays brought about by the Turkish permitting regime, we were relieved to see production begin just 12 months later than originally anticipated. Our partners Bahar, who are delivering ore to the crusher under a mining contract, and the Altıntepe management, are now concentrating on forward planning to optimise the development of the remaining parts of the resource.

Once ramp-up is completed in the coming weeks it will allow a clear grip on costs and we look forward to updating the market on the technical and economic parameters of the operation. In the meantime, it has to be borne in mind that Stratex’s financial investment in the mine to date is comfortably less than US$2m whereas our partners have financed the entire operation, to the tune of more than US$40m. We remain confident that we will see a recurrent cash flow in the current year.

The Muratdere feasibility study, completed in March 2015, used a base copper price of $5,580/t and generated acceptable levels of return. The project is sensitive to the copper price and later in the year we were able to revisit the economics, having reviewed some of the operating parameters using a slightly higher price.

Since that time the price of copper and other metals has weakened and is currently US$4,699/t. In order to maintain its 30% interest, Stratex was required to invest further significant sums in project development, detailed engineering, permitting and the operating costs of the joint-venture company. At the present time the projected economics do not meet Stratex’s investment criteria and as a result your Board has decided not follow its investment and has therefore accepted a dilution of its interest to 14.9%. We will continue to assess the supply-demand scenario for copper and may consider supporting future work to prevent further dilution, should we believe that the demand for copper, and hence the price, justifies our participation, bearing in mind that dilution below 10% will lead ultimately to a royalty position under the terms of the agreement. This would be a disappointing development but we would prefer to concentrate on opportunities where we have management control.

In 2012, Stratex sold a 30% residual interest in its 1.0 million oz Őksűt gold discovery in Turkey to partner Centerra. In addition to a US$20 million cash payment, we also received the right to a 1% royalty capped at US$20 million. Since that time Centerra published a feasibility study showing the production profile. With a lower gold price it was clear that we were unlikely to receive the full US$20 million and that although production was set to commence in 2017, uncertainty remained regarding the start and size of any payments. Your Board decided to sell the royalty, and contacted a number of potential buyers, including Centerra. Various offers were received but in the end the one-off, unconditional cash payment from Centerra was found to be the most acceptable. As a result net proceeds of US$4.5 million were banked in December.

In common with most junior explorers, Stratex has had to balance the need for meeting work commitments and moving prospects forward, with conservation of limited cash balances. Some positive results were obtained at Dalafin in Senegal and, indirectly, at Homase/Akrokerri in Ghana and through Thani Stratex Resources in Egypt and Djibouti. Little progress was made by Tembo Gold Corp in Tanzania where the management was concentrating on project maintenance and obtaining support from new investors.

Much management time and effort has been invested in the identification and evaluation of merger and acquisition targets in line with our stated policy thus by-passing or accelerating the traditional exploration process. These were likely to involve “stranded assets” either because they were non-core, apparently uneconomic, or due to lack of finance. It was felt that with a new approach, possibly on a less ambitious scale, and with a strong operating partner, they could be developed economically within two years. We have been in advanced negotiations for the acquisition of several such projects during the year, however, we have so far been unable to close an acquisition on terms which met our investment criteria.

The continuing depressed conditions in the junior mining sector, which have outlasted the expectations of most commentators, are playing into the hands of companies like Stratex. We have an outstanding record of exploration success; an ability to turn that success into cash; an aversion to equity issues to finance overheads; a virtually carried 45% interest in a producing gold mine, and a healthy cash balance.

The quest for more rapid growth by acquisition will continue whilst market conditions favour that strategy and we remain optimistic of success, with a focus on West Africa.

We would like express our gratitude to John Cole-Baker who retired from the Board on 31 March 2015 but will continue to provide support to the management of our operations in West Africa.  On 1 February 2016, Chris Worcester was appointed to the Board as an independent non-executive director, bringing a wealth of corporate finance expertise, enhancing our ability to grow as planned by acquisition.

Since the year end, we have also seen the resignation of the Managing Director of Goldstone. He has been replaced, as interim Chief Executive Officer, by Emma Priestley, a director of Stratex, who will not participate in any discussions regarding Goldstone at Stratex Board meetings.  She will continue to work on the strategic review of Goldstone’s assets to find the optimum way forward for the company in this difficult market.

Looking forward, the outlook for the industry is far from rosy. Nevertheless Stratex is better placed than many of its peers. We continue to seek to reduce overheads and are making progress with this in Turkey, Senegal and with Goldstone. Production at Altıntepe is expected to develop into cash flow and the Board and management are redoubling efforts to find a new project which will increase and diversify our cash flow. These efforts have been reflected in the share price since the turn of the year and we hope that this improved market recognition is set to continue.

 

Christopher Hall

Non-Executive Chairman

8 March 2016


 

Financial Statements

 

Statement of consolidated comprehensive income

 

Year ended 31 December 2014

Year ended 31 December 2015

                            £

£

Continuing operations

 

Revenue

-

-  

Administration expenses

(2,145,128)

(2,665,791)

Project impairment

-

(269,109)

Other income

2,770,522

190,585

Operating profit/(loss)

625,394

(2,744,315)

Finance income

22,839

44,727

Share of losses  in equity-accounted associates

(1,368,351)

(85,585)

Loss on sale of associate company

(70,818)

(98,834)

Profit on sale of subsidiary company

-

303,294

Loss before income tax

(790,936)

(2,580,713)

Income tax credit

153,380

37,090

Loss  for the year

(637,556)

(2,543,623)

Other comprehensive income for the year

 

Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss

 

Share of comprehensive income of investments in equity-accounted associates

246,457

104,711

Exchange differences on translating foreign operations

286,492

27,459

Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax

532,949

132,170

Total comprehensive loss for the year

(104,607)

(2,411,453)

Loss for the year attributable to:

 

Owners of the Parent Company

(402,050)

(2,438,207)

Non-controlling interest 

(235,506)

(105,416)

Loss for the year

(637,556)

(2,543,623)

Total comprehensive loss for the year attributable to:

 

Owners of the Parent Company

90,114

(2,367,425)

Non-controlling interests

(194,721)

(44,028)

Total comprehensive loss for the year

(104,607)

(2,411,453)

 

 

Earnings per share from losses from continuing operations attributable to the equity holders of the Company (expressed in pence per share).

 

 

 

 

 

 

  - basic

 

(0.09)

(0.52)

  - diluted

 

(0.09)

(0.52)

 


Statement of consolidated financial position

 

As at 31 December 2014

As at 31 December 2015

£

£

ASSETS

 

Non-Current Assets

 

 

 

Property plant and equipment

32,240

71,227

Intangible assets

 

8,323,340

7,603,549

Investments in equity-accounted associates

7,645,184

8,806,548

Available-for-sale financial assets

 

227,082

227,082

Trade and other receivables

1,322,135

1,078,577

Deferred tax asset

274,907

154,998

 

 

17,824,888

17,941,981

Current Assets

 

 

Trade and other receivables

873,697

930,401

Cash and cash equivalents

4,132,073

4,706,958

 

 

5,005,770

5,637,359

Total Assets

 

22,830,658

23,579,340

EQUITY

 

 

Equity attributable to owners of the Company

 

 

Share capital

 

4,673,113

4,673,113

Share premium

 

20,426,431

20,426,431

Other reserves

(125,714)

(643,305)

Retained earnings

 

(4,807,122)

(4,415,707)

Total equity attributable to owners of the Company

 

20,166,708

20,040,532

Non-controlling interest

 

2,251,732

2,446,453

Total Equity

 

22,418,440

22,486,985

LIABILITIES

 

 

Non-Current Liabilities

 

 

Employee termination benefits

 

27,013

28,971

Deferred tax liabilities

275

526

 

 

27,288

29,497

Current Liabilities

 

 

Trade and other payables

384,930

1,062,858

Total Liabilities

 

412,218

1,092,355

Total Equity and Liabilities

 

22,830,658

23,579,340


Statement of consolidated changes in equity

 

 

Attributable to owners of the Company

Non-Controlling Interest

 

Share Capital

Share Premium

Other Reserves

Retained earnings

Total

Total Equity

£

£

£

£

£

£

£

Balance at 1 January 2014

 

  4,673,113

20,426,431  

 

       (631,301)        

 

(2,070,378)

 

22,397,865

        -

22,397,865

Share-based payments

 

-

-

10,092

-

10,092

-

10,092

Share options exercised and cancelled

 

-

-

(92,878)

92,878

-

-

-

Total contributions by and distributions to owners of the Company

 

-

-

(82,786)

92,878

10,092

-

10,092

Non-controlling interest arising on business combination 

-

-

-

-

-

2,490,481

2,490,481

Total transactions with owners recognised directly in equity

-

-  

(82,786)

92,878

10,092

2,490,481

2,500,573

Comprehensive income for the year:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 - loss for the year

-

-

-

(2,438,207)

(2,438,207)

(105,416)

(2,543,623)

 - other comprehensive income

-

-

70,782

-

70,782

61,388

132,170

Total comprehensive income for the year

 

-

-

70,782

(2,438,207)

(2,367,425)

(44,028)

(2,411,453)

Balance at 31 December 2014

 

4,673,113

20,426,431

(643,305)

(4,415,707)

20,040,532

2,446,453

22,486,985

Share-based payments

-

-

36,062

-

36,062

-

36,062

Share options cancelled

 

-

-

(10,635)

10,635

-

-

-

Total contributions by and distributions to owners of the Company

 

-

-

25,427

10,635

36,062

-

36,062

Comprehensive income for the year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-  loss for the year

 

-

-

-

(402,050)

(402,050)

(235,506)

(637,556)

- other comprehensive income

 

-

-

492,164

-

492,164

40,785

532,949

Total comprehensive income for the year

 

-

-

492,164

(402,050)

90,114

(194,721)

(104,607)

Balance at 31 December 2015

 

4,673,113

20,426,431

(125,714)

(4,807,122)

20,166,708

2,251,732

22,418,440

 

 

Statement of consolidated cash flows

 

Year ended

31 December 2014

Year ended

31 December 2015

£

£

Cash flow from operating activities:

 

Net cash used in operating activities

(2,774,182)

(3,073,257)

Cash flow from investing activities:

 

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

(8,149)

(30,825)

Purchase of intangible assets

(816,962)

(2,510,793)

Investment in associate company

(35,090)

(625,069)

Cash acquired on acquisition of subsidiary

-

46,722

Interest received

22,839

44,727

Net cash used in investing activities

(837,362)

(3,075,238)

Cash flow from financing activities:

 

Funds received from sale of royalty interests

3,036,659

-

Funds received from project partners

-

280,487

Net cash generated from financing activities

3,036,659

280,487

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

(574,885)

(5,868,008)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period

4,706,958

10,574,966

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

4,132,073

4,706,958

 

Non-cash transactions:

On 23 October 2014 the Group entered into an agreement with Thani Emirates Resource Holdings Limited under which Stratex East Africa Limited and Thani Stratex Djibouti Limited were transferred to a new company, Thani Stratex Resources Limited, in exchange for shares in that company.


On 4 December 2014, the Group received 2,727,272 ordinary shares in Aforo Resources Ltd in repayment of a loan of £89,691.

 

Notes to the consolidated financial statements

 

1.          Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union (EU), IFRIC interpretations and those parts of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the measurement of certain investments at fair value and have been prepared on a going concern basis.

The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the Group's statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2015 or the year ended 31 December 2014 under the meaning of Section 434 the Companies Act 2006 but is derived from those accounts. The annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2015 were approved by the Board of Directors on 8 March 2016 along with this announcement, but have not yet been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The annual report and financial statements will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General Meeting. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2014 have been filed with the Registrar of Companies. The auditor’s reports on the statutory accounts for the years ended 31 December 2014 and 31 December 2015 were unqualified and do not contain a reference to any matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying their report, and did not contain a statement under section 498(2) or 498(3) of the Companies Act 2006.

It is the prime responsibility of the Board to ensure the Company and the Group remains a going concern. At 31 December 2015 the Group had cash and cash equivalents of £4,132,073 and no borrowings. The mine at Altıntepe commenced production in November 2015 and the Directors believe that it will be at full operational capacity by end March 2016.  The major forecast expenditure in 2016 is likely to be the further exploration at Homase/Akrokerri and at Dalafin. Muratdere continues to be funded by our partner Lodos. The Company and the Group have minimal contractual expenditure commitments and the Board considers the present funds sufficient to maintain the working capital of the Company and Group for a period of at least 12 months from the date of signing the annual report and financial statements. For these reasons the Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in the preparation of the financial statements.

 

2.          Accounting Policies

Except as described below the accounting policies applied in preparing these financial statements are consistent with those that have been adopted in the Group’s 2014 audited financial statements.

 

New and amended standards adopted by the Group

A number of new standards and amendments to standards and interpretations are effective for the annual period beginning after 1 January 2015 and have been applied in preparing these financial statements.

 

· Annual Improvements Cycle 2010-2012      

Amendments to IFRS 2 (Share-based payments – Definition of “vesting condition”), IFRS 3 (Business combinations – accounting for contingent consideration in a business combination), IFRS 8 (Operating segments – aggregation of operating segments and reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments’ assets to the entity’s assets), IFRS 13 (Fair value measurement – short-term receivables and payables), IAS 16 (Property, plant and equipment – revaluation method – proportionate restatement of accumulated depreciation), IAS 24 (Related party disclosures – key management personnel), and IAS 38 (Intangible assets – revaluation method – proportionate restatement of accumulated amortization). Effective 1 February 2015

 

· Annual Improvements Cycle 2011-2013      

Amendments to IFRS 1 (First time adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards – meaning of effective IFRSs), IFRS 3 (Business combinations – scope of exception for joint ventures), IFRS 13 (Fair value measurement – scope of paragraph 52 (portfolio exception)), and IAS 40 (Investment property – clarifying the inter-relationship of IFRS 3 and IAS 40 when classifying property as investment property or owner-occupied property). Effective 1 January 2015

       

Adoption of these standards has not had a material impact on the Group.

 

New and amended standards and interpretations issued but not yet effective for the financial year beginning 1 January 2015 and not early adopted.

The standards and interpretations that are issued, but not yet effective, up to the date of issuance of the financial statements are disclosed below. The Company and Group intend to adopt these standards, if applicable, when they become effective.

· IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flow amendments. Effective 1 January 2017

· IFRS 9 Financial instruments (2014). Effective 1 January 2018  

· IFRS 16 Leases. Effective 1 January 2019                    

· IAS 12 (Amendment) Recognition of Deferred Tax Assets for Unrealised Losses. Effective 1 January 2017           

· IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and IAS 28 (Amendments) Investment entities – applying the consolidation exception. Effective 1 January 2016     

· IAS 1 (Amendment)      Disclosure initiative. Effective 1 January 2016

· Annual Improvements Cycle 2012-2014.      Improvements to IFRS 5 (Non-current assets held for sale and discontinued operations – change of disposal method), IFRS 7 (Financial instruments – disclosures – servicing contracts), IFRS 7 (Financial instruments – disclosures – applicability of the amendments to IFRS 7 on offsetting financial assets and financial liabilities to condensed interim financial statements), IAS 19 (Employee benefits – discount rate – regional market issue), and IAS 34 (Interim financial reporting – disclosure of information ‘elsewhere in the interim financial report’)          

· IAS 27 (Amendment) Equity method in separate financial statements. Effective 1 January 2016

· IAS 16 and IAS 38 (Amendments) Clarification of acceptable methods of depreciation and amortization. Effective 1 January 2016

· IFRS 11 (Amendment) Accounting for acquisitions of interests in joint operations. Effective 1 January 2016        

The Group does not expect to adopt the new standards before their operative date. The Group is currently evaluating the impact of the new standards, however they are not expected to have a material impact on the Group.               

There are no other standards that are not yet effective and that are expected to have a material impact on the Group in the current or future reporting periods.

 

For further information please visit www.stratexinternational.com, email [email protected], or contact:

 

Stratex International Plc

Tel: +44 (0)20 7830 9650

Bob Foster / Christopher Hall / Claire Bay

 

Grant Thornton UK LLP

Tel: +44 (0)20 7383 5100

Philip Secrett / Jen Clarke / Daniel Bush

 

Northland Capital Partners Limited

Tel: +44 (0)20 7382 1100

Gerry Beaney / David Hignell (Corporate Finance)

Abigail Wayne / John Howes (Broking)

 

           

Notes to Editors:

 

Since listing in 2006, Stratex has discovered more than 2.2 million ounces of gold and 7.09 million ounces of silver, as well as 186,000 tonnes of copper. The Company achieved first gold pour at its 45%-owned Altıntepe gold mine in Turkey in November 2015 and recently sold its 1% Net Smelter Returns royalty in the Öksüt gold project for US$4.5 million. It also owns 14.87% of a copper-gold project at feasibility stage. With its current cash position, projected cash returns and no debt, the Company is well-placed to advance its existing exploration programmes and is also actively seeking to acquire advanced projects that are at the drill-ready stage or even have identified resources.

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