Shares in Rox Resources Ltd (ASX: RXL) tumbled more than 13% on Friday after the company announced a major capital raise to fund the development of its Youanmi gold project in Western Australia.
The company said it had received firm commitments to raise $200 million at 35 cents per share, with the amount raised worth more than half of the company's current market capitalisation of $343.5 million.
Rox shares fell 13.2% on the news to be changing hands for 39.5 cents around noon.
Image source: Getty Images
Big names backing the company
Rox said leading global investment manager L1 Capital was a cornerstone investor in the raise, taking up $60 million worth of shares.
Existing major shareholders in the company, Hawke's Point and Qgold, also took up major stakes consisting of $18 million and $25 million in new shares, respectively.
Current retail shareholders will also be able to subscribe for new shares up to a maximum limit of $10 million.
Mine funding well-progressed
The company said the placement proceeds would fully fund the equity component of the development of the Youanmi project, including project development capital expenditure and further resource definition and exploration drilling.
Having secured the equity component of the funding, the company would now seek to lock down debt funding for the project.
The company said in a statement to the ASX:
With equity funding now secured, the company is well positioned to conclude debt negotiations, which have already attracted significant interest from leading finance providers, and establish Rox as WA's next gold producer with first gold expected by mid-calendar year 2027.
Rox managing director Phill Wilding said it was a major milestone for the company.
The Youanmi Gold Project is a high-grade, high-margin project, as showcased in the recently announced definitive feasibility study. The placement capitalises on this momentum, with the level of support from existing and new shareholders being a testament to the compelling and robust business case for the Youanmi Gold Project, and the team that will deliver it. Securing these funds significantly de-risks the delivery timeline for the construction of Youanmi and ensures we can order long-lead items.
The definitive feasibility study for the project, released in mid-November, estimated pre-production capital costs for the project of $383 million, with the project expected to generate pre-tax cash flow of $2.25 billion.
The study envisaged a short payback period of less than two years, with the mine producing gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1978 per ounce.
