SilverCrest Metals Inc. (AMEX:SILV) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Pierre Beaudoin: Well, I’ll have to tell you that the stockpile is something that we monitor very closely. We consider that as our best stopes and it’s on surface. And so, this is something that we monitor against, the value that we have in our model. And at this point, I can say that we’re very happy with the level of our stockpile. And with regards to the start of your question, with regards to the question on grade in the plant, I’m just going to say that this is per design. We expected the grade to be lower in this quarter. And we should not read any more into this. We still have to plan to produce between 9.8 and 10.2 million ounces for the year. We’re well on our way to complete that.

Unidentified Analyst: Okay. Well, thanks for taking my questions and thanks for doing such a good job. I appreciate it.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Your next question comes from [Alain Charquin].

Unidentified Analyst: Yes, hello. I’m quite pleased with the success of the company. I want to know if the company right now is looking actively at other projects or mines in the area or in the world? Thank you.

Eric Fier: Yes, this is Eric. Our growth plan is in three paths. One is exploration, it’s priority one. Continued exploration at Las Chispas. We have a lot of value, I believe, is still to come and still to see at Las Chispas. So, we’ll be spending dollars there. We also have a regional program that we’re working on that’s within haulage [ph] distance of the mill at Las Chispas. That is continuing. It will continue for years to come as we look at projects that are earlier stage that still need to be drilled and mapped and sampled. So that feeds some of the exploration appetite for discoveries. And our third path is M&A. And we continue to look at M&A projects. We’re being a bit selective to be in the Americas. That’s our target. North America is a great place to play right now. So yes, there’s lots of things to do. We don’t have a big team to be running out, so we have to watch our resources as far as what we select and where we go with it.

Unidentified Analyst: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from Garrett Goggin with Stansberry Research.

Garrett Goggin: Hi, guys. Can you hear me okay?

Eric Fier: Yes.

Garrett Goggin: Good. Great quarter. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good cash flow generation like that in the silver industry. Capital allocation, you guys are doing a great job. I’d love to see the share buyback. Are you thinking about paying a dividend? Because if you just spent $20 million, that’d be close to a 3% yield height in the industry?

Chris Ritchie: Thanks, Garrett. It’s Chris here. When we evaluate the difference between a share buyback and a dividend, the first thing we did was look at other companies, single asset companies. And there was only two or three in the world that were actually paying a dividend. So, the flexibility or lack of flexibility that a dividend creates, is something we were definitely cognizant of, given that we do want to allocate capital for future growth. So, we thought that the share buyback was a better option, because it allows us to be more aggressive at the right times in the cycle. And that flexibility is something that’s quite unique for us. So, we thought the share buyback was just a chance to be more aggressive and flexible. In the future, if it sits down the road, that’s something we’d like to be able to consider.

Garrett Goggin: Okay. The share buyback is the best way to lower shares out, increases earnings per share, drives the share price higher. So your capital allocation is looking at drilling and internal growth. That’s where you see your life might be expanded primarily at this point, right?