Shares in gold miner St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) have fallen more than 10% after the company announced a $58 million capital raise to buy new plant and equipment and progress mining studies.
The company said in a statement to the ASX that it had received firm commitments for an institutional placement to raise $58 million at an issue price of 46 cents per share.
The stock, which closed Monday's trading at a 12-month high of 59 cents, valuing the company at $639.4 million, fell 10.2% on the news to be changing hands at 53 cents by mid-morning.
St Barbara said the institutional placement was met with strong demand, and "was overbidded with significant demand from new and existing high-quality Australian and international institutional investors''.
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Money to fund expansion studies
The money raised will be used in part to expand and convert the mining fleet at St Barbara's Simberi gold mine in Papua New Guinea, and finalise the Simberi expansion prefeasibility study.
It would also be used to complete the prefeasibility study on the 15 Mile Processing Hub at the company's Atlantic operations in Nova Scotia, Canada.
St Barbara Managing Director Andrew Strelein said the company was "extremely pleased" with the strong support for the placement "and delighted to welcome numerous new high-quality domestic and international institutional investors to St Barbara's register''.
The placement allows us to progress the change out of the truck fleet at Simberi to improve efficiency and reliability, as well as finalising the feasibility study and advancing pre-expansion growth capital items. The new funds will also enable us to complete the prefeasibility study on the 15-Mile Processing Hub at Nova Scotia, which is due in the March quarter of 2026, and progress plans for the potential re-opening of Touquoy for stockpile processing.
While St Barbara shares are sharply lower today, they are well up on their low for the past 12 months of just 19 cents.
Simberi sale being canvassed
St Barbara said in late September it had engaged Macquarie Capital to evaluate strategic options for Simberi, "including a potential sale of part or all of the operation''.
This followed the company receiving unsolicited expressions of interest in the project and requests to undertake due diligence.
St Barbara said in a statement at the time:
Several parties are undertaking advanced due diligence enquiries and have completed site visits and management presentations. There is no certainty that the Simberi process or any current discussions will result in any firm proposals, or that any proposals will result in a binding transaction.
The Simberi expansion project would increase annual gold production at the mine to more than 200,000 ounces per year and extend the mine life by 13 years to 2038.
