Finance

UK's Hochschild Mining slashes gold production forecast from Brazilian mine, shares plummet

Published by Global Banking and Finance Review

Posted on August 27, 2025

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(Reuters) -Britain's Hochschild Mining slashed full-year production forecast for its Mara Rosa mine by more than half on Wednesday, months after a shutdown due to lacklustre gold output, sending shares down nearly 20%.

The gold mine - Hochschild's first operation in Brazil - has faced contractor and weather-related disruptions, leading to production delays and reduced output, while costs continued to climb.

The mine's gold production is now expected to reach only 35,000-45,000 ounces this year, down from its previous forecast of 94,000-104,000 ounces.

Hochschild shares, which fell as much as 19.6% to 246.2 pence, dragged the wider FTSE 350 precious metals and mining index down 2.3% by 0730 GMT.

"Although the guidance downgrades do not catch us by surprise, the cost levels guided for 2025 drive a recalibration to our future forecasts," RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a note, cutting Hochschild's price target to 320 pence from 340 pence.

Mara Rosa has since restarted operations, the firm said, and will cost about $29-$30 million in sustaining and developmental expenses this year.

Its minimal contribution to production in the third quarter also led to a cut in total annual gold production to 291,000-319,000 ounces, from 350,000-378,000 ounces.

(Reporting by Yamini Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Janane Venkatraman)

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