The Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) share price is charging higher today.
Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) coal stock closed yesterday trading for $9.19. In morning trade on Thursday, shares are changing hands for $9.49, up 3.3%.
For some context, the ASX 200 is down 0.5% at this same time.
Today's outperformance is par for the course this past year. The Whitehaven Coal share price is now up 56.7% over 12 months, smashing the 5.1% one-year returns delivered by the benchmark index.
And that doesn't include the two fully-franked dividends the ASX 200 coal stock paid out over this time. At the current price, Whitehaven trades on a fully-franked trailing dividend yield of 1.6%.
Now, here's what's piquing investor interest.
Whitehaven Coal share price lifts off on production boost
Investors are tuning into the $7.8 billion ASX 200 coal stock today following the release of the miner's December quarter update (Q2 FY 2026).
The Whitehaven Coal share price looks to be getting a boost with the miner reporting a 21% quarter-on-quarter increase in its managed run of mine (ROM) production to 11 million tonnes.
Pleasingly, costs came in at the lower end of guidance, with management reporting unit cost of production of $135 per tonne. And looking to the full 2026 financial year, the company says it remains on track to achieve $60 million to $80 million in yearly cost savings.
The three months also saw Whitehaven shave $100,000 off its net debt, which declined to $700,000 as at 31 December, with the company reporting liquidity of $1.5 billion.
The Whitehaven Coal share price has also gotten some support over the past months, with the miner forking out $45 million to buy back 6.3 million shares in the first half of FY 2026.
Looking ahead, the coal miner maintained its full-year FY 2026 coal production and costs guidance.
What did management say?
Commenting on the results helping to boost the Whitehaven Coal share price today, CEO Paul Flynn said, "We continue to experience strong demand for Whitehaven's products, with 12.8Mt of equity coal sales for the first half including 7.0Mt for the quarter."
Flynn added:
Metallurgical coal prices improved during the period, while thermal prices were steady on the previous quarter. Cost discipline remains a priority, and with a half year unit cost of A$135/t, we are tracking well within the guidance range of A$130-145/t.
Whitehaven noted it continues to progress with it key growth projects. Those include the Narrabri Stage 3 Extension and the company's Winchester South metallurgical coal project.
