(Bloomberg) -- Newmont Corp. agreed to sell its Musselwhite gold mine in Ontario to Orla Mining Ltd. for up to $850 million as part of a divestment campaign designed to boost shareholder returns.
The deal with Orla is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, and will raise Newmont’s gross proceeds from sales of non-core assets to more than $2 billion, it said in a statement on Monday.
The world’s top gold miner began offloading smaller mines across Australia, Africa and North America following its acquisition of Newcrest Mining in 2023. With its share price trailing a blistering rally in the gold market this year, proceeds from the sales are being used to pay down debts and repurchase shares.
Miners’ pitch to investors is that they can offer better returns than owning the metal, partly due to greater investment options and shareholder payouts. Still, the industry has often underperformed over the past 15 years as major expansions left producers with big debts and angry shareholders.
Newmont has more than $3 billion in buybacks planned by October 2026.
Under the terms of the agreement with Orla, Newmont will receive $810 million in cash upon closing and as much as $40 million in contingent payments.
Newmont’s shares closed at $40.93 on Friday, for a year-to-date loss of 1.1%. Spot gold prices have rallied more than 25%.
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