Somincor, Zinkgruvan And Odda Projects Will Secure Metal Supply

Key Takeaways

• Smooth integration of acquisitions and project expansions positions Boliden to benefit from increased production volumes and demand for sustainably sourced, low-carbon metals.
  
• Ongoing digitalization, automation, and recycling initiatives are set to reduce costs, lift operational efficiency, and improve margins and earnings resilience.
  
• Elevated debt, operational challenges, margin compression, and regulatory risks threaten investment flexibility, profitability, and long-term growth prospects.

Catalysts

Engages in the extracting, producing, and recycling of base metals in Sweden, Finland, other Nordic region, Germany, the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and internationally.

• The integration of the Somincor and Zinkgruvan acquisitions is progressing smoothly, immediately lifting production volumes and positioning Boliden to benefit from global supply constraints and long-term demand for sustainably sourced metals; expected to strengthen top-line revenue and future earnings.
  
• The Odda green zinc smelter expansion is on track with ramp-up in H2 2025 and full contribution expected in 2026, leveraging stricter environmental standards and demand for low-carbon metals in Europe; should improve both revenue growth and net margins due to potential premium pricing.
  
• Record stripping at Aitik and successful permits provide operational flexibility and scope to lift mill throughput closer to nameplate capacity in coming years, which aligns with rising global copper demand for electrification and supports sustained volume and revenue growth.
  
• Ramp-up of Tara, Kristineberg, and the Rönnskär tank house project-combined with a strong pipeline of smelter and recycling expansions-positions Boliden to leverage both higher recycling volumes and growing demand for traceable, ESG-compliant metals, which should boost top-line growth and improve margins.
  
• Sustained focus on digitalization and automation across key assets is expected to lower costs per tonne over time, enhancing operational efficiency and supporting improved net margins and long-term earnings resilience amidst industry-wide cost inflation.

Boliden Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming Boliden's revenue will grow by 6.1% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 8.8% today to 9.8% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach SEK 10.7 billion (and earnings per share of SEK 36.92) by about August 2028, up from SEK 8.0 billion today. However, there is a considerable amount of disagreement amongst the analysts with the most bullish expecting SEK14.8 billion in earnings, and the most bearish expecting SEK7.0 billion.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 11.0x on those 2028 earnings, up from 10.9x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the GB Metals and Mining industry at 13.7x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to grow by 3.88% per year for the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 5.95%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Boliden Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• The company's increased debt and higher net reclamation liabilities due to recent acquisitions (Somincor and Zinkgruvan) could restrict flexibility to invest in new projects or withstand downturns, while depressed commodity prices (especially zinc and nickel) could pressure free cash flow, net margins, and long-term earnings.
  
• Persistent lower grades, particularly in key assets like Garpenberg (where guidance has been revised down), and difficulties in accelerating high-grade mining (sill pillar mining issues) may result in prolonged periods of lower metal output, directly impacting revenue and profitability in future years.
  
• The risk of negative or severely depressed treatment charges (TCs), especially for copper and zinc smelters, was highlighted as "problematic" and "unsustainable," which may significantly compress margins for the smelting segment if industry-wide adjustments do not occur soon.
  
• Higher depreciation levels following large investments (notably Odda, where quarterly depreciation will jump from SEK 50 million to SEK 275 million) and asset acquisitions will structurally weigh on reported earnings and further dampen net profit despite stable operational cash flow.
  
• Ongoing exposure to regulatory and permitting risks, such as reliance on exceptions to environmental laws (e.g., Aitik dam), uncertain timing around new mining permits (Garpenberg), and increased scrutiny from ESG requirements, could introduce unanticipated delays, additional compliance costs, and operational restrictions that hamper expansion, raise costs, and adversely affect long-term revenue and margins.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of SEK311.938 for Boliden based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of SEK350.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just SEK250.0.
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be SEK109.0 billion, earnings will come to SEK10.7 billion, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 11.0x, assuming you use a discount rate of 6.0%.
• Given the current share price of SEK307.0, the analyst price target of SEK311.94 is 1.6% higher. The relatively low difference between the current share price and the analyst consensus price target indicates that they believe on average, the company is fairly priced.
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.