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Doray Minerals (DRM) reported record June Q production at its Deflector Mine with 18.5koz Au and 818t Cu at an AISC of A$1,196/oz (versus 19koz @ A$986/oz in the March Q). Resources grew by 34% after incorporating the new Link and Da Vinci lodes at Deflector, adding ~180koz at around 18g/t Au which are yet to be incorporated into the mine plan or reserves. Cash increased to $30.7m and debt was reduced to $20.5m (from $27.5m in March Q). FY19 guidance was released with 80-85koz Au and 2,250-2750t Cu at an AISC of $1,050-1,150/oz), a 30% increase on FY18 output. Overall, the growth on multiple fronts has re-invigorated DRM’s appeal as a growth story trading on 5x FY19 PE and EV/Production of $1,900/oz. Flexibility in FY19 production, additional exploration success and an aggressive $10m exploration budget will continue to show further upside appeal in the short and medium term. BUY, TP $0.48ps (prior $0.41).

Dacian Gold (DCN) raised $40m through an institutional placement at a price of $2.70ps. DCN aims to raise a further $5m via a Share Purchase Plan which is expected to close at the end of July. Funds raised will provide additional cashflow flexibility for aggressive exploration targeting higher production rates and a longer mine life at Westralia and additional resource growth at Cameron Well (CW) via a ~110km drill program over 18 months. In addition, DCN will also extinguish the uncapped royalty on parts on the Jupiter mine area at a cost of $12m. Argonaut believes this is well-timed and a prudent move aimed at enhancing the project economics via aggressive growth aspirations. DCN trades on undemanding EV/Production metrics of $3,300/oz vs the peer group averaging $6,000/oz. Once operations reach steady state and exploration gets underway, we expect that DCN’s discount to our NAV and its peer group valuation will unwind. BUY, TP $3.64ps.

Sandfire Resources (SFR) reported June Q results with 17.9kt Cu and 9.5koz Au at US$0.80/lb C1 costs beating Argonaut’s forecast of 18.8kt Cu and 9.4koz au at US$1.08/lb. SFR finished FY18 with 64.9kt Cu and 39.3koz Au, within the revised guidance range of 63-66kt Cu and 38-40koz Au. Monty decline development slowed during the Q and has fallen behind schedule as a result of poor ground conditions requiring addition ground support. SFR’s cash balance increased by $55m QoQ to $243m at 30 June. Interestingly, the Company stated that it is considering a rights issue to fund permitting and a BFS on the Black Butte Project in Montana. We expect this raise will be within Sandfire Resources America Inc (formerly Tintina Resources).

Fortescue Metals (FMG) reported June Q results with a record 46.5Mt shipped at US$12.17/wmt C1 vs March Q 44.7Mt @ US$13.14/wmt (-4% shipped Q-o-Q). Operations ran at an annualised rate of ~200Mtpa during the Q. Gross debt decreased to US$4.0bn (from US$4.2bn in March Q), and cash was higher at US$863m (from US$0.6bn in March Q). Price realisation gap to the Platts 62 CFR index narrowed to 37% (down from 38% in Q3FY18 and 34% in Q2FY18). Strip ratios were unchanged at 1.5:1. HOLD recommendation maintained and we revise our target price to $4.75ps (prior $4.88ps).

St George Mining (SGQ) is steadily increasing the footprint of high grade base metal (Ni, Cu, Co, PGE) mineralisation in the Cathedrals Belt of Western Australia since taking control of the project in early 2016. Argonaut is highly encouraged by the latest drill hole MAD108 at the Investigators Prospect which intercepted 7.6m of sulphide mineralisation, including 1.3m of massive sulphides, down dip of previous holes MAD38 and MAD60 extending the mineralisation ~320m down-plunge. Hand-held XRF reading for the massive component measured 8% Ni and 7% Cu. Exploration along the 4.5km mineralised strike of the Cathedrals Belt is ongoing and we predict the company will be in a position to release a Maiden Resource in late-2018 or early-2019. SGQ is a standout Ni/Cu explorer based on exceptional grades (up to 8% Ni equivalent) and open pittable fresh rock mineralisation.

Western Areas (WSA) released June Q results with 6.4kt Ni in concentrate at C1 costs of A$2.80/lb (before payability), beating Argonaut’s forecast of 4.9kt Ni at A$2.55/lb. The strong finish to the year resulted in WSA meeting revised guidance of ~21kt, with FY18 actual of 21.1kt at A$2.63/lb. The Company generated strong cash flow during the Q adding $16m cash to finish the year at $152m. We believe WSA is in a strong position from cash and future cash flow to self-fund growth projects, including the Odysseus underground mine with pre-development capex of $190-200m (PFS estimate). Upgrade to BUY with a $3.40 target price

Evolution Mining (EVN) delivered March Q production of 202koz (+6% vs March Q 191koz) above Argonaut’s estimates of 193koz. All-in sustaining costs (AISC) of A$846/oz were 10% higher QoQ (A$768/oz in March Q). Standout performance came from the Ernest Henry (EH) asset with 24koz at a record low AISC of negative -$823/oz (including by-product credits) and generating net mine cash-flow of A$59.4m for the Q. Group operating mine cash-flow of $221m (+26% vs Mar Q $175m) and net mine cash flow of $136m (+22% vs March Q $111.4m) were higher than Argonauts forecasts as a combination of record-low costs at EH and improved production. FY18 production of 801koz came in at the upper end of 790-805koz guidance (vs Argonaut 794koz), however operating mine cash flow came in at $812m, well above our forecast as a result of significantly lower AISC which saw the full year come in at A$797/oz, -6% lower than Argonaut forecasts and well below the FY18 A$820-870/oz guidance. The stock remains in line with our valuation. HOLD recommendation maintained.

OZ Minerals (OZL) reported June Q production results of 27.1kt Cu and 28.1kt Au below Argonaut’s forecast of 30kt Cu and 38kt Au. During the period, Prominent Hill made the transition from open pit mining to stockpile reclamation resulting in a significant decrease in AISC from US$1.36/lb to US$1.17/lb. OZL’s balance sheet remains strong with $454m cash (vs $646m at March 30) after $78m investment into Carrapateena development, $201m cash payment for the Avanco Resources (AVB) acquisition and a $100m tax expense. The AVB takeover is all-but complete with OZL controlling 97.7% of outstanding shares at June 30. BUY recommendation maintained.

Mod Resources (MOD) has signed a binding agreement to acquire Metal Tiger’s (LON:MTR) 30% stake in the T3 deposit, the key asset in the greater Kalahari Copper Project in Botswana. The all scrip deal, comprising 17.2m MOD shares and 40.6m options (at zero exercise price), values the transaction at $26.6m based on MOD’s 20 day VWAP of $0.46/sh. This implies a see-through value of $87m for the T3 deposit. The transaction incorporates mechanisms to maintain MTR ‘s shareholding in MOD at <=12.5% and gives MOD the option to acquire 100% of joint venture (JV) exploration tenements within the project area. MTR has agreed to support MOD’s Board in any change of control recommendations. We see this transaction as a positive for MOD as it gains 100% of T3, increasing the Company’s control in the project and raising takeover appeal. We highlight MOD’s strategic value as one of the few listed companies globally with an economically feasible copper project and a belt scale land holding. Few acquirable copper plays remain listed on the ASX following the recent acquisitions of Avanco Resources (AVB) and Finders Resources (FND). BUY recommendation with revised target price of $0.83.

Northern Star (NST) delivered a standout June Q, producing 184koz at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of A$982/oz (+48% on production, -8% on costs vs the March Q), well above our expectations and guidance. Underlying free cashflow from operations was $93m (+191% from $32m in March Q). Net cash increased to $512m (+16% Q-o-Q). Group milled tonnes rose by 34%, largely as a result of the integration of South Kal (SKO) production capacity. FY19 production guidance is forecast at 600-640koz at an AISC of A$1,025-$1,125/oz, which we see as conservative. Argonaut believes NST has strong potential to flex milling capacity and move >700kozpa in the short term via existing capacity and toll treatment or potential M&A. NST continues to trade on premium metrics including ~22x EV/FCF and >$6,000oz EV/production. We maintain our HOLD recommendation and we look for additional detail at the Strategy Day on August 4th