Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Ltd. (
TSX: T.LIM,
Stock Forum) shares lost 19% of their value Tuesday amid warnings that the company’s ability to continue to operate as a going concern is in doubt.
After Tuesday’s plunge to 15 cents, Canada's only TSX-listed iron ore producer has seen its stock price tumble all the way from 80 cents in April 2013, leaving a market cap of $18.9 million, based on 126.2 million shares outstanding.
There may be more pain in store as existing shareholders face massive dilution if the company moves to secure equity financing at current levels.
Labrador Iron Mines has iron ore projects, including seasonal mining operations in western Labrador and northeastern Quebec, near the historic mining town of Schefferville, Quebec.
In the quarter ended December 31, 2013, the company posted a net loss of $31. 3 million or 25 cents a share on revenue of $28.4 million, compared to a year ago loss of $16.1 million or 19 cents when revenue was $24.7 million.
During the quarter, Labrador Iron Mines posted negative cash flows from operations of $11 million and an ending working capital deficit of $27.1 million.
In a research report,
Scotia Capital Inc. analyst Mark Turner questioned whether operations can or should resume for the 2014 season given [Scotia’s] bleak outlook for iron pricing and the current operating structure of LIM’s Schefferville operation.
The report said LIM will require working capital of at least $30 million to fund 2014 start-up capital and corporate costs, with an additional $20 million required if the Houston deposit is to be developed in 2014.
[Houston is one of six deposits in the Schefferville area that contain a NI 43-101-compliant measured and indicated resources of 59.5 million tonnes, according to the company].
“In our view, the company’s share price is now so low now that if it chose to seek equity financing to raise the $30 million and was able to complete it – an amount roughly equial to the company’s market capitalization – it would be extremely dilutive to equity holders,’’ Turner wrote in his report
“We are revising our recommendation to ‘Under Review’ from ‘Sector Perform’ pending clarification of the company’s ability to raise the required working capital to restart operations and its implications on capital structure,’’ Turner wrote.
For its part, Labrador Iron Mines has said it can provide no assurances that it will be successful in obtaining any required financing, and that it may be forced to curtail its operations and development activities.
Meanwhile, the company has moved to reduce costs by cutting roughly 30 people last week from its workforce. The company has also indicated that it will be trying to negotiate revised terms with contractors.