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Earnings documents stored for NEXA.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-17Cajamarquilla Shutdown and Q1 Results Could Be A Game Changer For Nexa Resources (NEXA)
Simply Wall St.
Cajamarquilla Shutdown and Q1 Results Could Be A Game Changer For Nexa Resources (NEXA)
Nexa Resources has recently suspended operations at its Cajamarquilla zinc smelter in Peru following a contained fire that injured four people, caused localized infrastructure damage, and prompted a temporary halt while authorities and the company investigate the incident and assess restart timing. At the same time, Nexa reported first-quarter 2026 sales of US$888.32 million and net income of US$89.31 million, while recording US$2.97 million in property, plant and equipment write-offs and preparing for the retirement of its long-serving Senior Vice President of Smelting and Commercial, Mauro Boletta. We’ll now examine how the temporary Cajamarquilla smelter shutdown fits into Nexa’s longer-term investment narrative and operational risk profile. Uncover the next big thing with 27 elite penny stocks that balance risk and reward. To own Nexa Resources, you have to believe in its integrated zinc mining and smelting model and the long mine lives at assets like Aripuana and Cerro Pasco. The Cajamarquilla fire and temporary shutdown highlight operational and safety risk, but the company does not currently expect a material financial impact, so the key near term swing factor remains execution at Aripuana, while the biggest risk is still heavy capital needs and balance sheet pressure if metal prices soften. The most relevant recent announcement alongside the smelter incident is Nexa’s Q1 2026 result, with sales of US$888.32 million and net income of US$89.31 million. These figures give investors a clearer starting point to judge how any Cajamarquilla downtime could affect full year earnings, especially as Nexa works toward Aripuana’s ramp up and the Cerro Lindo streaming step down that many see as important cash flow catalysts. But against that backdrop, you should also be aware that if operational interruptions spread or persist, Nexa’s reliance on its integrated mine smelter model could... Read the full narrative on Nexa Resources (it's free!) Nexa Resources' narrative projects $2.9 billion revenue and $150.5 million earnings by 2029. This implies broadly flat yearly revenue and a $166.7 million earnings increase from $-16.2 million today. Uncover how Nexa Resources' forecasts yield a $7.02 fair value, a 53% downside to its current price. Some of the lowest analysts were already cautious, assuming roughly US$3.0 billion of revenue and about US$158.8 million of earn...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-12Nexa Resources Q1 Earnings Call Highlights
MarketBeat
Nexa Resources Q1 Earnings Call Highlights
Interested in Nexa Resources S.A.? Here are five stocks we like better. Nexa Resources posted a much stronger Q1 2026, with adjusted EBITDA more than doubling to $283 million and net income rising to $118 million, helped by higher metals prices, better sales volumes and improved operations at Aripuanã. Net leverage also improved to 1.59x from 2.09x a year earlier. Mining was the standout segment, as zinc production rose 18% year over year to 79,000 tons and the segment delivered a 50% EBITDA margin. Aripuanã set a quarterly zinc production record, while temporary disruptions in Peru had already been resolved. Cash generation should improve further after Nexa’s Cerro Lindo silver stream stepped down from 65% to 25%, which management said could add about $100 million a year at current prices. The company is also keeping its 2026 capex guidance intact and expects to continue reducing debt. Nexa Resources (NYSE:NEXA) reported a sharply stronger first quarter of 2026, with management pointing to higher metals prices, improved sales volumes and better operating performance, particularly at its Aripuanã mine. Chief Executive Ignacio Rosado said adjusted EBITDA more than doubled year over year to $283 million, with a margin of nearly 32%. Net income totaled $118 million, or $0.67 per share. Net leverage ended the quarter at 1.59 times, down from 2.09 times a year earlier, supported by stronger last-12-month adjusted EBITDA. → Beyond NVIDIA: Picks-and-Shovels AI Plays with Strong Momentum Rosado said the quarter benefited from “a constructive price environment across our entire metal mix,” higher sales volumes in both mining and smelting, and continued operational improvement. He said silver was a standout, with average prices 164% above the first quarter of 2025. The company also faced temporary disruptions at its Peruvian operations. Rosado cited heavy rainfall at Cerro Lindo, an illegal community blockade at Atacocha and a shaft constraint at El Porvenir as factors that affected sequential production. He said those issues have been addressed and the affected operations returned to normal run rates. → MercadoLibre Boldly Invests in Growth: Discount Deepens Mining zinc production reached 79,000 tons in the quarter, up 18% from a year earlier, as all five mines benefited from improved ore grades. Sequentially, production declined because of the temporary constraints...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-07Nexa Reports 1Q26 Net Income of US$118 Million; Aripuana Sets New Quarterly Zinc Production Record
TMX Newsfile
Nexa Reports 1Q26 Net Income of US$118 Million; Aripuana Sets New Quarterly Zinc Production Record
Adj. EBITDA more than doubles year-over-year on higher metal prices and stronger smelting volumes; Cerro Lindo silver streaming step-down takes effect, with Nexa retaining a larger share of silver production from 2Q26. Luxembourg, Luxembourg--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2026) - Nexa Resources S.A. (NYSE: NEXA), one of the world's largest zinc producers, today reported net income for the first quarter of 2026 of US$118 million, compared to US$29 million in 1Q25 and US$81 million in 4Q25. Adjusted EBITDA reached US$283 million, up 126% year-over-year, while net revenues totaled US$888 million, up 42% year-over-year. The year-over-year improvement was primarily driven by sharply higher metal prices, particularly silver, with the LBMA reference price averaging 164% above 1Q25, together with higher smelting sales volumes and continued operational improvements at the Brazilian smelters. Sequentially, performance was mixed: stronger smelting volumes, higher zinc and silver prices, and a record quarter at Aripuan ̄ offset lower mining output at the Cerro Pasco Complex and Cerro Lindo, where heavy rainfall, a community blockade at Atacocha, and an unplanned hoisting outage at El Porvenir constrained production. Those disruptions have since been resolved and the affected operations have returned to normal run rates. "Higher silver prices and stronger smelting throughput drove most of the year-over-year EBITDA improvement, amplified by the operational leverage of our integrated mine-smelter model. Aripuan ̄ set another quarterly zinc production record, and our Brazilian smelters continued to recover (Juiz de Fora produced 56% more zinc than in 1Q25 and Tr↑s Marias produced 17% more). With the Cerro Lindo silver streaming step-down now in effect, commissioning of the Aripuan ̄ fourth tailings filter underway, and the first-quarter constraints at our Peruvian operations resolved, Nexa is positioned to deliver on its full-year objectives," said Ignacio Rosado, CEO. Operational Highlights Aripuan ̄ set a new quarterly zinc production record of 13kt, supported by higher head grades. Commissioning of the fourth tailings filter is underway and is expected to address the principal seasonal constraint on the operation. Brazilian smelters continued their multi-year recovery. Juiz de Fora produced 56% more zinc than in 1Q25 and Tr↑s Marias produced 17% more, reflecting improvements in t...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-07Nexa Resources S.A. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Moby
Nexa Resources S.A. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled year-over-year, driven by a constructive price environment and significant byproduct credits from silver and copper. Aripuana reached a quarterly production record of 13,000 tonnes of zinc, signaling improved operational stability and plant utilization since reaching commercial production. Mining segment performance benefited from improved ore grades across all five mines, offsetting temporary sequential declines caused by heavy rainfall and community blockades in Peru. Smelting segment volumes recovered as Brazilian units addressed previous operational bottlenecks, though margins remain pressured by historically low global treatment charges (TCs). The company achieved a significant reduction in net leverage to 1.59x, supported by strong trailing 12-month EBITDA and a disciplined focus on balance sheet strengthening. Strategic byproduct focus is increasing, with silver prices averaging 164% above the prior year, providing a natural hedge against volatility in base metal smelting economics. Management expects strong free cash flow generation for the remainder of 2026 as typical first-quarter working capital and tax payment seasonality unwinds. The Cerro Lindo silver streaming agreement step-down from 65% to 25% is expected to contribute approximately $100 million in additional annual cash flow at current prices. Aripuana is positioned to reach full production capacity in the second half of 2026 following the commissioning of a fourth tailings filter to mitigate weather-related disruptions. The Cerro Pasco integration project remains on schedule for construction completion in Q3 2026 and project finalization in Q4 2026, with tailings pumping expected to commence in Q2 2027. Exploration drilling targets have been revised upward by 12% to 67,000 meters, focusing on extending life-of-mine and increasing the reserve base at the Cerro Pasco complex. Peruvian production was temporarily impacted by heavy rainfall at Cerro Lindo, an illegal blockade at Atacocha, and a shaft constraint at El Porvenir. Smelter economics face structural pressure from the annual benchmark treatment charge (TC) settlement of $85 per tonne, which management does not expect to recover materially in 2026. The company is actively monitoring the Peruvian political landscape, noting that the independence of the Central Bank and mining's role in tax revenue provi...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-07Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA) Beats Q1 Earnings Estimates
Zacks
Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA) Beats Q1 Earnings Estimates
Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.67 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.59 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.16 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +14.53%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $0.45 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.6, delivering a surprise of +33.33%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Nexa Resources, which belongs to the Zacks Mining - Miscellaneous industry, posted revenues of $888.3 million for the quarter ended March 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.27%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $627.11 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Nexa Resources shares have added about 80.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6%. While Nexa Resources has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Nexa Resources was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Str...
TranscriptFY2026 Q12026-05-07FY2026 Q1 earnings call transcript
Earnings source - 113 paragraphs
FY2026 Q1 earnings call transcript
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Nexa Resources' first quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Please note that today's event is being recorded and broadcast live via Zoom, with access also through Nexa's Investor Relations website. A slide presentation accompanying the webcast is available for download, as well as a replay of the conference call for following its conclusion.
As a reminder, all participants are currently in listen-only mode. Following today's presentation, we will open the floor for questions. To ask a question, if you are joining via Zoom, please click the Raise Hand button. If your question is answered, you can lower your hand by clicking Put Hand Down button. You may also submit your question via the Q&A icon at the bottom of your screen. Please include your name and company when submitting your question.
Written questions that are not addressed during this call will be answered afterwards by the investor relations team. Questions from media outlets will be handled separately by our corporate affairs team. Now, I would like to turn the conference over to Mr. Rodrigo Cammarosano, Head of Investor Relations and Treasury, for his opening remarks. Please go ahead.
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Nexa Resources' first quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Thank you for joining us today. During the call, we will discuss Nexa's performance as detailed in the earnings release issued yesterday. We encourage you to follow along with the presentation available through the webcast.
Before we begin, please turn to slide number 2, which contains our forward-looking statements disclaimer. We ask that you review the information regarding these statements and the associated risk factors. Joining the call today are our CEO, Ignacio Rosado, our CFO, José Carlos del Valle, and our Senior Vice President of Mining Operations, Leonardo Coelho. With that, I will turn it over to Ignacio.
Thank you, Rodrigo, and good morning, everyone. Starting on slide number 3, our main highlights. The first quarter of 2026 was a strong start to the year. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled year-over-year to $283 million, with a margin of nearly 32%. Net income was $118 million or $0.67 per share. Net leverage continued to come down, closing the quarter at 1.59 times, half a turn lower than where we were a year ago, benefited by a strong last 12 months Adjusted EBITDA.
Three things drove the results: a constructive price environment across our entire metal mix, most notably silver, where prices averaged 164% above the first quarter of 2025, higher sales volumes in both segments, and operating performance that continues to improve, particularly at Aripuanã, which delivered another quarterly production record.
The quarter was not without challenges. Heavy rainfall at Cerro Lindo, an illegal community blockade at Atacocha, and a shaft constraint at El Porvenir all impacted the Peruvian production sequentially. Those issues have been addressed, and the affected operations returned to normal run rates. In mining, zinc production reached 79,000 tons, up 18% year-over-year, with all five mines benefiting from improved ore grades.
In smelting, zinc metal and oxide sales totaled 147,000 tons, up year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter, supported by ongoing operational improvements at our Brazilian smelters and continued solid performance at Cajamarquilla. The negative free cash flow in the quarter is consistent with our typical first quarter seasonality, reflecting working capital build-up and tax payments.
We expect this to unwind over the coming quarters, reinforcing expectations of a strong free cash flow generation in 2026. Let me move to slide number 4 for a closer look at the mining segment. Year-over-year, the 18% increase in zinc production reflects better ore grades across all of our operations. Quarter-over-quarter, the decline was driven by the temporary constraints at the Peruvian mines.
Cash costs net of by-products came in at negative $0.76 per pound, well below our 2026 guidance range, driven by stronger by-product grades following from higher zinc, copper, silver, and gold prices. Cost per run of mine was $57 per ton, in line with guidance.
The year-over-year increase was driven by the appreciation of the Brazilian real, higher maintenance costs, and higher variable costs in specific operations. The financial picture for the segment is strong.
Net revenues of $460 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $231 million, translating into a 50% EBITDA margin. The kind of operating leverage we expect when prices and volumes both move in the right direction. On slide number 5, I will talk about Aripuanã. Aripuanã was the standout asset of the quarter.
We produced 13,000 tons of zinc, a quarterly record since the operation reached commercial production, supported by higher grades, better plant utilization, and improved operational stability. On the fourth tailings filter, construction and installation were completed in late April. Commissioning started now in early May and is expected to be concluded in the second quarter.
Once fully operational, the filter materially reduces our exposure to weather-driven throughput disruptions during the rainy season. Exploration continued to deliver encouraging results in the quarter. At Massaranduba, we hit a 16.6 meter intercept, grading 9.6% zinc and 3% lead, additional confirmation of the long-term potential of the district. Now to slide number 6 for the Cerro Pasco integration project. Phase 1 of the Cerro Pasco integration project remained firmly on schedule during the quarter.
We completed a slope stabilization at the construction site, started civil works and structural assembly of the pump building, and concluded the manufacturing, testing, and packaging of the main equipment, including the thickener and pumps, as you can see in the picture on the bottom of the slide. These are important technical milestones. Looking ahead, we expect civil works to be completed and electromechanical assembly to progress through the 2026.
Construction is targeted for completion in the 3rd quarter of this year, with full project finalization expected in the 4th quarter of this year. We begin the operating authorization process, which positions the start of the pumping for the 2nd quarter of 2027. On the broader regulatory front, the second MEIA for El Porvenir and the third for Atacocha are under evaluation by SENACE, and we currently expect both approvals in the 1st quarter of 2027.
Preparatory studies for phase two, including the Picasso shaft assessment, also continued to advance during the quarter. This is one of the most important strategic levers in our portfolio. The integration extends life of mine at the Cerro Pasco complex beyond 15 years, lifts the average NSR of the life of the operation, and consolidates our position in one of Peru's most prospective polymetallic districts.
Now, on slide number 7, I will talk about our smelting segment. In the smelting, zinc, metal, and oxide sales of 147,000 tons were up year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter. The Brazilian units are recovering their production pattern, with Juiz de Fora producing 56% more zinc than in the first quarter of last year, and Tres Marias 17%. Cajamarquilla continued to operate at solid levels.
Cash costs net of byproducts was $1.40 per pound, slightly above the upper end of our annual guidance, reflecting higher zinc LME prices and lower TC impacting concentrate purchases. We expect this to ease modestly over the next quarters as our Peruvian operations return to normal run rates, reducing third-party concentrate need.
Conversion cost was $0.34 per pound, in line with our 2026 guidance. Starting this quarter, we have expanded our earnings release to include byproduct sales performance, sulfuric acid, silver content, and copper cement.
As byproducts become a more expressive part of segment economics, we want to make those drivers more transparent for the market. Net revenues for the segment were $609 million with Adjusted EBITDA of $51 million, an 8% margin. The margin reflects the structural pressure on global smelter economics from very low TCs. With that, I will hand the call over to José Carlos del Valle, our CFO, for the financial review.
Thank you, Ignacio. Good morning, everyone. Let's turn to slide number 8 for an overview of our financial performance. We started the year carrying momentum from our fourth quarter of 2025. A favorable price environment combined with stronger operational execution. Net revenues totaled $888 million, up 42% year-over-year and down 2% sequentially.
The year-over-year increase was driven by higher metal prices across our portfolio, evidencing a $158 million larger by-product contribution, an improved performance in both the mining and smelting segments. The sequential decline reflects lower mining sales volumes, partially offset by higher smelting sales and stronger by-product pricing. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $283 million, up 126% year-over-year, with a margin of 31.8%.
The year-over-year improvement reflects price realization, operational leverage from higher volumes in both segments, and stronger by-product credits. Sequentially, EBITDA was 6% lower, driven mainly by higher unit costs from increased third-party concentrate consumption required to compensate for the temporarily lower output at our own Peruvian mines this quarter.
We expect this to normalize as those operations return to full run rates. To investments on slide number 9. We invested $72 million in CapEx during the first quarter, about 19% of our full year guidance, in line with a typical 20%-25% first quarter pace.
The bulk went into sustaining activities, mine development, and tailing storage facilities. Phase 1 of the Cerro Pasco integration project accounted for $8 million in the quarter versus a $31 million guidance for the full year.
We reaffirm our total 2026 CapEx guidance of $381 million, with disbursements weighted towards the back of the year as project execution intensifies, particularly for Cerro Pasco phase 1. On exploration and project evaluation, we invested $16 million in the quarter, mainly in exploration, drilling and mine development.
We also reaffirm our full year guidance of $86 million. Let's turn to slide number 10 to review our cash flow for the quarter. Starting with our Adjusted EBITDA of $283 million and adjusting for non-operational items, our operating cash flow before working capital was strong, $308 million. From there, $72 million went to CapEx and $81 million went to pay interest and taxes.
Working capital and other variations were negative $283 million in the quarter, in line with what we typically see in the first quarter of every year. Furthermore, this quarter we made significant tax payments related to the stronger results we had in 2025, paid out annual bonuses and settled year-end confirming payables across our jurisdictions.
As before, we expect this to reverse substantially over the coming quarters, both as part of the natural intra-year seasonality and as we push initiatives to continue to improve our cash conversion cycle.
Moving along, we also see that foreign exchange added a positive $6 million. On the financing side, in Brazil, we drew a new $40 million 6-month loan at a very competitive interest rate. This was partially offset by regular debt service and lease payments, resulting in a net cash inflow of $21 million.
In addition, we distributed $25 million in dividends to non-controlling interest. With that, free cash flow for the quarter closed at negative $126 million. Let's move to slide number 11 to discuss liquidity, indebtedness, and credit rating. Our liquidity position remains healthy. We ended the quarter with $716 million in total liquidity, including the undrawn $320 million sustainability-linked revolving credit facility.
As you can see, our cash on hand alone is enough to cover pretty much all financial commitments over the next 4 years. Average debt maturity stood at 7.2 years at quarter end, with an average cost of debt of 6.27%, an improvement from the 6.49% at the end of 2025.
Net leverage continued to come down at 1.59 times versus 1.69 times in the prior quarter and 2.09 times a year ago. The improvement was driven primarily by stronger last twelve month EBITDA of $929 million.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to disciplined deleveraging, focusing on reducing gross debt over time, lowering interest expense, and maintaining net leverage below 1.7 times throughout 2026, while preserving our investment-grade rating and competitive cost of capital. With that, I'll hand it back to Rodrigo for the market fundamental section.
Thank you, José Carlos. Turning now to zinc and copper markets on slide number 12. Zinc prices remain supported by persistent concentrate tightness and low LME refined zinc price. The LME zinc price was up 4% during the period, closing at $3,185 per ton. At the same time, smelter margins remain compressed. Spot treatment charges in China, both domestic and imported, continue at historically low levels, which highlights how acute the concentrate shortage is.
While key smelting by-products such as sulfuric acid have provided some partial relief to margins, they have not been sufficient to fully offset the impact of lower TCs. Looking into 2026, we do not expect a material recovery in TCs. Particularly given that the annual benchmark has been settled at $85 per ton. As a result, the smelter margins are likely to remain under pressure.
On the price front, zinc should continue to find support from solid fundamentals, including tight concentrate availability, low exchange inventories, and resilient demand from galvanizing and infrastructure-related end uses.
On copper, supply fundamentals remain tight with ongoing concentrate scarcity and negative spot TC and RCs. Copper price presented some short-term volatility in the quarter linked to trade policies and inventory dynamics, but a structural setup remains constructive over the medium to long term, supported by bullish demand expectations.
Now, let's turn to slide number 13 for a look at precious metals. Silver prices reached multi-year high during the quarter, briefly trading above $120 per ounce before retracting. The fundamentals continue to be supportive. A 6th consecutive year of structural deficit combined with strong industrial demand from solar PV, electric vehicles, AI infrastructure, and data center build-outs.
This carries greater significance for Nexa, as we produce roughly 11 million ounces of silver per year, making us a meaningful player in the global silver market. Furthermore, in April, we reached a delivery threshold under our Cerro Lindo silver streaming agreement. As a result, the streamed share of Cerro Lindo production stepped down from 65 to 25%, with the remaining 75% now to be sold at prevailing market prices.
At current silver levels, this represents an important recurring additional contribution to our cash generation from the second quarter onward. Gold prices also remain well supported through the quarter, driven by safe haven flows, sustained central bank purchases, a weaker U.S. dollar, and elevated geopolitical uncertainty. Looking ahead, both metals should continue to contribute strongly to our cash generation and to provide diversification and counter cyclical support to our polymetallic portfolio.
Now on slide 14, on ESG, we have made progress across our main priorities in the quarter. We expanded community and inclusion programs in Brazil and Peru, advanced education and infrastructure projects with local communities near Cajamarquilla and Aripuanã, and continued our operational efficiency and low carbon initiatives across the operations, including a backfill optimization project at Cerro Lindo that delivered meaningful reductions in cement and water consumption.
We also strengthened HSE and ESG governance, including leadership level engagement and continued progress on environmental permitting of our Peruvian assets. In late April, we published our 2025 annual sustainability report, our most comprehensive disclosure to date on environmental, social, and governance performance. It is available on our investor relations website. With that, I will hand it back to Ignacio for the closing remarks.
Thank you, Rodrigo. Before we open for questions, let me close on slide number 15 with a quick recap of our priorities and key business drivers. First, Aripuanã. The fourth filter commissioning is being completed this month, which positions us to reach full production capacity in the second half of 2026.
Combined with our long reserve life, the asset is one of the central pillars of our long-term cash flow generation. Second, Cerro Pasco integration. Phase 1 is on schedule for project finalization in the fourth quarter, setting up the start of pumping in the second quarter of 2027.
The project extends the life of the mine beyond 15 years and improves the profitability of the complex. Third, exploration. The 2025 reserve update extended life of mine across all of our operations. We are not just replacing depletion, we are growing the reserve and resource base.
This year, on back of strong drilling results, we have revised our 2026 program upwards to nearly 67,000 m, about 12% above the original plan. With the increase concentrated at the Cerro Pasco complex and other exploration projects. Fourth, growth. We continue to evaluate value-accretive opportunities in mining-friendly jurisdictions. Underlying all of this is a consistent set of priorities: financial and operational discipline, a stronger balance sheet, balanced capital allocation that includes shareholders' returns, and an active ESG strategy.
Most importantly, our absolute commitment to safety for our people and our communities. Before we move to questions, I would like to take a moment to recognize Mauro Boletta, our Senior Vice President of Smelting and Commercial, who is retiring at the end of this month after more than 40 years with the Votorantim Group. Mauro has been instrumental in shaping our smelting and commercial operations.
On behalf of the entire Nexa team, I want to thank him for his contribution and wish him the very best. With the first quarter Peruvian constraints behind us, the Aripuanã filter commission and underway, and the Cerro Lindo silver streaming transition now in effect, we are entering the rest of the year with a strong momentum and a clear set of priorities. With that, let's open the line for questions.
Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. To ask a question, if you are joining via Zoom, please click the Raise Hand button. You may also submit your question using the Q&A icon at the bottom of the screen. Please include your name and company when typing your question. For participants joining by phone, press Star, followed by nine to raise or lower your hand. Once announced, press Star, followed by six to mute or unmute your microphone. The first question comes from Pedro Melo with Citi. Please go ahead.
Good morning, James.
Morning. We can hear you, Pedro.
Okay. Thank you. My first question regarding Cerro Pasco integration project. Phase 1 of the project remains on schedule with tails pumping study start estimated for 2Q 2027. However, the 2 environmental approvals for El Porvenir and Atacocha are only expected for next year's 1Q, leaving a very tight window. My question is, what are the key execution and permitting risks that could delay the 2Q 2027 start?
Regarding Phase 2, when do you expect to have a clear investment decision on the Picasso shaft and underground integration alternatives? This is the first one. The second one relates to smelting segments, where we saw a great improve of results. Could you give us more color in what to expect in terms of color for this segment results in the next quarters, and why? If we should expect this level of EBITDA to $50 million per quarter? Go ahead. Thank you.
Thank you for your questions. Regarding Cerro Pasco, what we said is the pumping system is gonna finish this year. December this year, that pumping will be up and operational. The permits, the modification on the environmental impact studies for Atacocha and El Porvenir will be ready in the first half of next year.
There is gonna be an overlap. What is key here is that we have more than a year of life of mine of our tailings capacity. We keep track of the permits permanently, and we are very confident that the permits are gonna come in the first quarter of next year. Given that we finish the construction and we have this cushion on capacity, it shouldn't be a problem for us to continue operating El Porvenir and Atacocha.
We don't see any issues in that regard. Regarding smelting, it's a very important question because what happened last year is that we have some problems in with the operational problems in Juiz de Foraand in Tres Marias in Brazil that impacted their production. We started an assessment and a fast-track improvement on operations during the last quarter of last year.
Now, we are producing more because recoveries are high, because we're making sure that this, all these bottlenecks in the operation are being taken care of. The operation is gonna hold in the next three quarters, probably a little bit better than what we had in the first quarter.
We believe that this is a continuous improvement to come back to KPIs, operational KPIs that we had in 2024 and 2023. Having said that, it's important to mention that all smelters, Cajamarquilla is performing really, really well.
As we were saying in the call, and I think in our press release, all of our smelters are facing a profitability performance in terms of the TC, you know? China is demanding a lot of concentrate. And even if we are improving operations, negative TC or very low TCs are affecting all of our operations. Which, and this is very important for us as well, is being compensated by products. No?
The sulfuric acid market is very tight today. We are in a very good position for our production, especially for 2027, because 2026 is already being sold a high part, and we close our spot sale in very important terms.
Silver and copper, no. This by-products more than offset the problem that we have in the TC front. It's difficult to see how the smelting market is gonna perform in 2027 or in the next few months, because I believe that profitability drivers are gonna change. In any case, what we can be focused is only on operational improvements that are happening. As I was saying, the second quarter is gonna be better than the first one, and we will come back to normal levels, the ones that you have been seeing in 2024.
Thank you.
Our next question comes from Sathish Kasinathan with Bank of America. Please go ahead.
Hello?
Hi, Sathish. We cannot hear you. Still, we still cannot hear you, Sathish. I saw that you unmute your microphone, but we are not able to hear you.
It seems that Sathish is having some technical problems. Once again, if you would like to ask a question, please click raise hand button at the bottom of the screen. If you are joining via Zoom, click the Raise button.
If you may also submit your question using the Q&A icon at the bottom of the screen, please include your name and company when typing your question. For participants joining by phone, press star 9 to raise or lower your hand. Once announced, press star 6 to mute or unmute your microphone. Our next question comes from Adam Smiransky. Please go ahead.
Hi. With the silver stream at Cerro Lindo. Sorry, can you hear me now?
Yes. Perfect.
Yeah, perfect.
Okay. Perfect. Thank you. Okay. The lower silver stream at Cerro Lindo, I was just going to see maybe how some of that extra revenue is going to be reinvested, whether you're looking at capital returns or M&A or other sort of changes in capital allocation. Are you able to comment on that?
Thank you for the question. To give some context, as you rightly mentioned, starting in the second quarter, we will begin to see the impact of the step down in the silver stream, which is going from 65% to 25% of a Cerro Lindo production.
To give you a sense of the impact, this is assuming Cerro Lindo produces, I would say 3.6 million ounces per year. At current prices, that's about $100 million more per year of cash generation, just to give you a sense of the magnitude of the impact. Having said that, this does not change our capital allocation strategy.
As we have mentioned a number of times, our key goal is to reduce our gross debt, so this will help us to accelerate that process. The idea is that any excess cash that we generate in this favorable price scenario will allow us to do this in a faster timeframe. This is consistent with our overall strategy that we have been communicating to the market in the past, and there's no change to that.
No changes there. Okay. Thank you very much.
Our next question comes from Peter Varga with AAM. Please go ahead.
Hello, can you hear me?
Yeah, we can hear you.
Oh, yeah. Okay. Hi. Thank you very much for the presentation. Just a couple of questions. Do you have an explicit leverage target you want to reach and then over what time frame? Also would like to ask your CapEx plan and maintenance and expansion CapEx in details for the coming quarters and how that can be influenced by smelting margins and tin prices and physically and metal prices.
Our capital allocation strategy has not changed despite the silver streaming step down. In terms of CapEx, we are reaffirming our guidance. You know, the fact that we are generating higher cash flow in this favorable price scenario is not going to change that. That's something to keep in mind.
In terms of leverage, as we have mentioned before, what we want is to have the flexibility so that we can go through different cycles. Part of the strategy of reducing the debt on one hand is to reduce interest expense, which is high for a company of the size of Nexa. We want to have this financial flexibility because you know, prices can change, we want to have that additional buffer.
We don't know how fast we will be able to do this because we don't control prices. We are certainly optimistic in this price scenario that we will be able to achieve this faster. I would say that, you know, reaching an overall net leverage of 1 time would give us a lot of comfort, so that we would have that buffer to go through to the different cycles. It will depend again on prices. We are, you know, confident that we will also accelerate this with this stable production performance that we're having and with this, the supportive prices that we're seeing.
Okay. Thank you very much. Also probably one question. We have seen some market rumors that your parent is looking to divest the company and there were rumors that some European buyers are around. Can you comment on this, please?
Yeah. I mean, we have rumors all the weeks, every week. Actually, we don't comment on rumors. What I can emphasize is that we are very active on looking for opportunities to grow Nexa. We have a very dedicated team to make sure that we grow the company, not only in reserves and resources, that we are being very successful, but also on opportunities that are in the market, especially in copper.
That means that you're looking for M&A, but I mean, you already mentioned, your net leverage goal. I mean, this one time to reach, over time you mentioned and, but how can fit that M&A goal into the deleveraging goal? I mean, you want to finance that probably, issuing new shares or what kind of financing can we expect if there's an M&A?
With this pricing environment, as José Carlos del Valle was saying and some internal actions that are happening, which is the Cerro Lindo stream, we might expedite reducing the debt at a level that we are comfortable. In the interim, the strategy is gonna be looking for these accretive opportunities in the market.
The timing depends on how much we reduce the debt and how fast and how what opportunities we find in the market. We keep track. We have in our radar a lot of opportunities. It's a difficult market today because it's very expensive.
I would say it will be a combination of reducing the debt and making sure that we can use our balance sheet, mainly our balance sheet, to start looking for these opportunities. Given that could be an overlap, we have to be creative, and we have been doing that. I believe that it could be done, and we'll see what happens in the coming months.
Okay. Thank you. Probably the last question. What do we expect from the new Peruvian government? I mean, we have heard, some I mean, it depends which party or which president will be at the end. What do you expect, the licensing, and especially the environmental licensing for the operations going forward? I mean, do you have any view how a left-wing presidency can affect operation? Do you have any plans for that scenario?
Yeah. I guess it's early days. We're not even in the second round today, they're still debating who's gonna go with the Fujimori party to the second round. In any case, the way we see it is that we were already exposed to President Castillo. I think they realized that 2 things. One is that the central bank is independent. Changing that, you will need to change the Constitution.
To change the Constitution, you will have to go to the Diputados' camera and Senadores' camera. It's gonna be very difficult for them to approve any change. This is a lockup that we have.
You see that the political noise is very difficult to affect the economy. That's one thing. The second one that is very important is that any president, regardless of their views on how they manage the country, starts to know that most of the income that comes through taxes are from the mining sector. If they really want to finance some, let's say projects or activities or actions that are against the mining sector, they will start losing this income, and they cannot afford to do that. This happened to Castillo.
The Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Economy is very robust in that regard, and it's very clear that if income comes down, they won't have anything to do different actions that differ from making sure that the country is growing. That's the second one.
The last one is that we mining companies are used to this sort of situations. The most important part here is that you have good relations with your communities. Having good relations with them means that you have good agreements that benefit them, that benefit you, that are long-term, and that create an economic scenario for the two of us that is not affected by that political environment. We don't see this has been the case for the last years, you know.
Many presidents have been impeached, which is a shame for Peruvians, for we Peruvians. If you can see that, and you can see, there is no link to the economic performance of the country. You can see that the mining sector managing communities effectively, it won't be affected that much by this noise in the political arena. Okay. That's more or less where we are. We'll see what happens. We have to be prepared to any scenario. This has been the case for many years.
Okay. Thank you.
Now, I would like to turn the call over to the company for the written questions. Please go ahead.
Thank you, operator. We have one question from the audience. The question is: Is there any estimated date for a construction decision for the stage 2 or phase 2 of the Cerro Pasco integration project? Will this phase 2 require additional permitting?
Yeah. Very important question. I think that was a question that was asked once before. I apologize for not answering that. Very important question. The phase 2 part of the project is integrating the 2 mines and making sure that we produce more ore.
As we were saying in the presentation, we have a very dedicated team of in the exploration that started a study some years ago to start grading heavily our mines. We said many times that we are finding a lot of resources that have higher NSR and very important opportunities in the intersection and in Atacocha and El Porvenir in the underground parts.
The reason why we decided to delay the phase II is because we are trying to make sure that we build a mine of a life of mine plan that is more effective and has is more profitable for these two mines.
This is gonna take some time. I would say, we might be able to tell the market, I would say, in the next, in the second half of this year how are we gonna manage that. Our board is also waiting for that, and this is a priority. The good thing is that the permits that we will have for Porvenir and Atacocha, that will be approved in the first half of next year, also apply for this integration.
We won't have a water making problems in these approvals. I think we are right on track. We have a very good problem because the endowment that we used to approve the second phase has been increased significantly.
That's why we are saying that we have more than 15 years. Today is a matter of how are we gonna build this new life of mine plans to make sure that profitability or NAV drives this evaluation. Okay? We'll keep you posted in what are we gonna do in the following months.
This concludes our question and answer session. I would now like to hand the call over to Mr. Ignacio Rosado for his closing remarks. Mr. Rosado, please go ahead.
Thank you. I would like to emphasize that the closing of last year, we had a very strong results, we were exposed to prices, to very good prices. This has been the case for the first quarter of this year. Unfortunately, we had some problems in our Peruvian operations that already have been resolved.
The message I would like to convey is that for the rest of the year, we are very committed to have very stable operations. We are very committed to have to offset some problems that we have in costs regarding oil, regarding inflation in the market, regarding the effects in Brazil. Try to make sure that we sort of offset those with productivity measures.
We build a very robust operating profit from our mines and smelters in the rest of the year. Not only because we have these very good prices, because we take care of the main variables of the mines and smelters.
We look forward to speaking to you towards the end of the second quarter. We are confident that we're gonna deliver on our commitments and our guidance. Thank you very much for attending the call. Again, we look forward to speak to you in a few months.
Thank you. This concludes today's conference call. We appreciate your participation and interest in Nexa. You may now disconnect.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-04Aura Minerals Gears Up to Report Q1 Earnings: How to Play the Stock?
Zacks
Aura Minerals Gears Up to Report Q1 Earnings: How to Play the Stock?
Aura Minerals Inc. AUGO is expected to post year-over-year growth in earnings when it reports first-quarter 2026 results on May 6, after market close. The consensus mark for earnings has moved up over the past seven days to $2.01 per share for the quarter. The figure indicates solid 443.2% year-over-year growth. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research AUGO’s earnings performance has been negative in the recent quarters. Earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two trailing quarters, delivering an average negative surprise of 28%. Aura Minerals Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Aura Minerals Inc. Quote Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for AUGO this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, but that is not the case here. Earnings ESP: The Earnings ESP for AUGO is 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: AUGO currently has a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Aura Minerals entered the first quarter of 2026 with strong operational momentum, and this was clearly reflected in its production performance. The company reported record preliminary output of about 82,137 gold-equivalent ounces (GEO) for the first quarter, representing a 37% year-over-year increase and roughly stable performance sequentially compared with the fourth quarter of 2025. The production growth was aided by multiple operating mines and ongoing ramp-ups. Operations across Aranzazu, Minosa, Almas, Apoena, Borborema and MSG collectively supported output, with newer or expanding assets like Borborema and Almas playing an important role in lifting volumes. Certain mine-specific factors shaped the quarterly production mix. Output at some sites, such as Aranzazu and Apoena, was affected by mine sequencing and lower grades, while MSG saw temporary impacts from underground infrastructure upgrades. These operational adjustments are typical in mining cycles and suggest that while total production remained strong, the internal mix of volumes and costs may have fluctuated during the quarter. Aura’s ongoing expansion and development pipeline continued to underpin performance. Projects such as Borborema expansion and Almas underground dev...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-30Will MP Materials Corp. (MP) Report Negative Earnings Next Week? What You Should Know
Zacks
Will MP Materials Corp. (MP) Report Negative Earnings Next Week? What You Should Know
MP Materials Corp. (MP) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended March 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price. The earnings report, which is expected to be released on May 7, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. This company is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.01 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +91.7%. Revenues are expected to be $74.93 million, up 23.2% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 20% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-30Nexa Resources to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock?
Zacks
Nexa Resources to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock?
Nexa Resources S.A. NEXA is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results after the closing bell on May 6. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter total sales is pegged at $958 million, suggesting an improvement of 52.8% from the prior-year quarter. The consensus mark for earnings has moved up 84.85% to 61 cents per share, which indicates year-over-year growth of 281.3%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Over the trailing four quarters, Nexa Resources’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice and missed the same in the remaining quarter. NEXA has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 75.96%. The trend is shown in the chart below. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Nexa Resources this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Earnings ESP: The Earnings ESP for Nexa Resources is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: NEXA currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Nexa Resources’ first-quarter 2026 performance is likely to have reflected a strong pricing environment. Through the quarter, copper prices rose 38% year over year, zinc gained 14%, while silver and gold surged 157% and 69%, respectively. Lead prices, however, declined a slight 2%. On the production front, zinc output is expected to remain a key growth driver following a record 91 kt production in the fourth quarter (up 24% year over year). Nexa Resources’ 2026 guidance points to a roughly 6% year-over-year increase in zinc production, primarily driven by higher output from Aripuanã, Atacocha and Vazante, partially offset by lower volumes at Cerro Lindo and El Porvenir due to mine sequencing. This is expected to have reflected on first-quarter zinc production as well. After a 12% decline in the fourth quarter of 2025, copper production is expected to decline 17% in 2026, mainly reflecting the planned mining of lower-grade zones. Lead production in 2026 is expected to remain broadly stable compared with 2025. Silver production was down 3% year over year in the fourth quarter while gold production increased 16% . Silver production...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-29Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
Zacks
Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
The market expects Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended March 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on May 6. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.44 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +175%. Revenues are expected to be $957.97 million, up 52.8% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 14.29% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is signific...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-29Element Solutions Tops Earnings and Revenue Estimates in Q1
Zacks
Element Solutions Tops Earnings and Revenue Estimates in Q1
Element Solutions Inc. ESI recorded earnings of 23 cents per share for the first quarter of 2026 compared with 40 cents in the year-ago quarter. Reported net income was $56 million, down 43% year over year, primarily due to a gain on the Graphics Solutions divestiture in the prior-year period. Barring one-time items, earnings were 41 cents per share, up from 34 cents in the year-ago quarter. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 38 cents. The company generated net sales of $840 million, up 41% year over year from $593.7 million. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $744.4 million. Organic net sales rose 10%. ESI benefited from strong momentum in its Electronics business, aided by robust demand tied to AI infrastructure, high-performance electronics, advanced packaging and thermal management applications. Acquisitions also contributed to reported growth in the quarter. Element Solutions Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Element Solutions Inc. Quote Net sales in the Electronics segment rose 61% year over year to $633.5 million in the reported quarter. The figure beat the consensus estimate of $532 million. Organic net sales increased 15%. Adjusted EBITDA for the segment increased 34% year over year to $119.1 million. In the Specialties segment, net sales increased 4% year over year to $206.5 million. Organic net sales rose 1%. The figure missed the consensus estimate of $207 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the segment rose 9% year over year to $43.2 million. Element Solutions ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $177.3 million, down from $626.5 million at the end of 2025. Debt was $2,058.7 million at the end of the quarter compared with $1,625.9 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. Cash used in operating activities was $66.6 million against cash provided by operating activities of $26 million in the year-ago quarter. Free cash flow was negative $74.2 million against a positive free cash flow of $30.1 million in the prior-year quarter. The company now expects full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA in the range of $665 million to $685 million, up from its earlier outlook of $650 million to $670 million. For the second quarter of 2026, ESI expects adjusted EBITDA between $155 million and $170 million. Shares of Element Solutions have gained 91.7% in a year compared with a 9.8% rise in the ndustry. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research E...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-28Nucor Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top on Higher Volumes and Prices
Zacks
Nucor Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top on Higher Volumes and Prices
Nucor Corporation NUE reported earnings of $3.23 per share for the first quarter of 2026, up from 67 cents in the year-ago quarter. It beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.79. The company recorded net sales of $9,496 million, up around 21.3% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8,657.6 million. Nucor Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Nucor Corporation Quote Total sales tons to outside customers for steel mills in the first quarter were 5,619,000 tons, up 8% year over year. Volumes were up 22% from the prior quarter. The figure missed our estimate of 5,228,000 tons. Overall operating rates at the company's steel mills were 86%, up sequentially from 82% and from 80% in the first quarter of 2025. In the reported quarter, the Steel Mills segment posted earnings of $1,128 million, up from the fourth quarter due to higher average selling prices and volumes across all product groups. The Steel Products segment earned $285 million, higher sequentially, reflecting increased volumes and stable average realized pricing. The Raw Materials segment delivered earnings of $45 million, up from the prior quarter due to higher average selling prices and volumes. Cash and cash equivalents were $2,226 million at the end of the quarter, down around 29.5% year over year. Long-term debt was $6,877 million, up 2.8%. In the first quarter, Nucor repurchased roughly 0.7 million shares of its common stock. The company expects higher consolidated earnings in the second quarter of 2026, supported by improvements across all three operating segments. In the steel mills segment, earnings are projected to rise due to higher realized selling prices while volumes remain stable. The steel products segment is also anticipated to deliver stronger performance, driven by higher volumes on steady pricing. The raw materials segment is expected to benefit from higher realized pricing, further contributing to overall earnings growth. Shares of Nucor are up 81% in a year compared with the industry's 70.6% rise. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research NUE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks worth a look in the basic materials space are Galiano Gold Inc. GAU, Materion Corporation MTRN, and Nexa Resources S.A. NEXA. Galiano is slated to report quarterly results on May 13. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 17 c...

