Even though there is still more than a week to go until the end of 2021, we can say with relative confidence that the South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) share price is heading for a very successful year. In 2021 year to date, the South32 share price has appreciated by roughly 59.8%. That's including today's 0.76% increase thus far to $4 a share at the time of writing.
So unless some catastrophic share price crash happens with Sotuh32 over the next week or so (we can never rule these things out entirely), South2332 will end the year on quite a high. This was a company that started 2021 at $2.62 a share, after all. South32 now has a 52-week range of between $2.44 and $4.07. As you can tell, today it is a lot closer to that high than the low.
But now that 2021 is almost in the rear-view mirror, what could 2022 hold in store for this diversified ASX 200 resources share? Well, South32 is a mining company, and as such, its fortunes largely rest on the prices of the commodities it mines. Higher prices mean higher profits and vice versa. South32 has significant operations extracting lead, silver, nickel, aluminium and manganese, amongst others.
ASX experts give South32 shares a 'buy' rating
Well, one expert investor reckons the best could still be to come for South32. ASX broker Goldman Sachs currently rates Sotuth32 as a 'conviction buy'. It has a 12-month share price target of $4.40 for South32, which implies a potential upside of another 10.55% on current pricing.
This upside is to be driven by commodity pricing, according to the broker. Goldman sees an especially strong environment for aluminium, nickel and manganese in particular over at least the next year. Further, Goldman likes South32's strong free cashflow outlook, anticipating a free cashflow yield of 16-18% over FY2022 and FY23. This, the broker anticipates, will enable South32 to fund significant dividends and share buybacks as well. It is expecting South32 to pay out dividends worths around a 12-13% yield in FY22 and FY23.
As my Fool colleague James covered earlier this month, Goldman isn't the only broker bullish on South32. Morgans also has this ASX 200 miner on its buy list, this time with a share price target of $4.10. Morgans likes South32's diversification compared to the iron ore-dominated portfolios of BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG).
So that's what a couple of expert investors anticipate for the South32 share price in 2022. No doubt investors will have their fingers crossed their predictions are accurate!
