Wheaton Precious Metals Exceeds 2017 Production Guidance and Declares First Quarterly Dividend of 2018

TSX: WPM
NYSE: WPM

VANCOUVER, March 21, 2018 /CNW/ - Wheaton Precious Metals™ Corp. ("Wheaton" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2017. All figures are presented in United States dollars unless otherwise noted.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, Wheaton generated over $165 million of operating cash flow, resulting in over $535 million for the year. Wheaton's strong cash flow generation was founded on production of over 350 thousand ounces of gold and over 28 million ounces of silver, both in excess of Company guidance. Finally, subsequent to the quarter, Wheaton announced the proposed new San Dimas precious metal stream as part of the First Majestic Silver Corp. arrangement transaction, which should result in a stronger, more sustainable operation at the San Dimas mine.

Operational Overview

Highlights

• Attributable silver and gold production for the year ended December 31, 2017 exceeded production guidance of 28 million ounces of silver and 340,000 ounces of gold.
• The decrease in attributable silver production for the three months and year ended December 31, 2017 was primarily due to lower production from the San Dimas mine resulting from various operational issues coupled with the expiry of the Cozamin silver purchase agreement.
• The decrease in attributable gold production for the three months and year ended December 31, 2017, which was in line with expectations, was a result of a reduction of the Company's share of the gold production at the 777 mine from 100% to 50% effective January 1, 2017 coupled with reduced production at Minto.
• The Company achieved record gold sales volume during the year ended December 31, 2017.
• During the three months and year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized an impairment charge of $229 million. The impairment charge was in relation to the Pascua-Lama project.
• The Company paid out a record level of dividends in 2017.
• Declared quarterly dividend of $0.09 per common share relative to the three months ended December 31, 2017. This represents an increase of 29% relative to the comparable period in 2016.

Subsequent to the Quarter

• In conjunction with the proposed acquisition by First Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") of Primero Mining Corp. ("Primero"), Wheaton has agreed to terminate the existing San Dimas silver purchase agreement and enter into a new precious metals purchase agreement relating to the San Dimas mine with First Majestic.

Outlook

• Wheaton's estimated attributable production in 2018 is forecast to be 22.5 million ounces of silver and 355,000 ounces of gold.
• Wheaton's estimated average annual attributable production over the next five years (including 2018) is anticipated to be approximately 25 million ounces of silver and 370,000 ounces of gold.

"Wheaton's high quality portfolio of low-cost, long-life assets once again exceeded production guidance for both gold and silver, resulting in sector-leading operating cash flow of over $535 million in 2017. With 30% of our cash flows being distributed in dividends, we now provide the highest yield of all the precious metal streamers," said Randy Smallwood, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wheaton Precious Metals. "We also took significant steps to further strengthen our portfolio, including restructuring the stream at San Dimas, and we look forward to welcoming First Majestic as a new partner. Finally, in addition to the substantial organic optionality embedded in our current portfolio, we see a solid pipeline of new opportunities for additional accretive growth."

Financial Review

Revenues
Revenue was $243 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, on sales volume of 7.3 million ounces of silver and 94,300 ounces of gold. This represents a 6% decrease from the $258 million of revenue generated in the fourth quarter of 2016 due primarily to (i) a 13% decrease in the number of gold ounces sold; (ii) a 3% decrease in the number of silver ounces sold; and (iii) a 1% decrease in the average realized silver price ($16.75 in Q4 2017 compared with $16.95 in Q4 2016); partially offset by (iv) a 6% increase in the average realized gold price ($1,277 in Q4 2017 compared with $1,205 in Q4 2016).

Revenue was $843 million in the year ended December 31, 2017, on sales volume of 24.6 million ounces of silver and 337,200 ounces of gold. This represents a 5% decrease from the $892 million of revenue generated in 2016 due primarily to (i) a 13% decrease in the number of silver ounces sold; partially offset by (ii) a 2% increase in the number of gold ounces sold; and (iii) a 1% increase in the average realized gold price ($1,257 in 2017 compared with $1,246 in 2016).

Costs and Expenses
Average cash costs¹ in the fourth quarter of 2017 were $4.48 per silver ounce sold and $399 per gold ounce sold, as compared with $4.59 per silver ounce and $389 per gold ounce during the comparable period of 2016. This resulted in a cash operating margin¹ of $12.27 per silver ounce sold and $878 per gold ounce sold, a decrease of 1% per silver ounce sold and an increase of 8% per ounce of gold sold as compared with Q4 2016. The increase in the gold cash operating margin was primarily due to a 6% increase in the average realized gold price in Q4 2017 compared with Q4 2016 while the decrease in the silver cash operating margin was primarily due to a 1% decrease in the average realized silver price during the same period.

Average cash costs¹ during the year ended December 31, 2017 were $4.49 per silver ounce sold and $395 per gold ounce sold, as compared with $4.42 per silver ounce sold and $391 per gold ounce sold during the comparable period of 2016. This resulted in a cash operating margin¹ of $12.52 per silver ounce sold and $862 per gold ounce sold, an increase of 1% per gold ounce sold while the cash operating margin¹ per ounce of silver sold was virtually unchanged as compared with 2016.

Earnings and Operating Cash Flows
Adjusted net earnings¹ and cash flow from operations in the fourth quarter of 2017 were $82 million ($0.19 per share) and $165 million ($0.37 per share¹), compared with adjusted net earnings¹ of $82 million ($0.19 per share) and cash flow from operations of $175 million ($0.40 per share¹) for the same period in 2016, an increase of 1% and a decrease of 6%, respectively.

Adjusted net earnings¹ and cash flow from operations for the year ended December 31, 2017 were $277 million ($0.63 per share) and $539 million ($1.22 per share¹), compared with adjusted net earnings¹ of $266 million ($0.62 per share) and cash flow from operations of $584 million ($1.36 per share¹) for the same period in 2016, an increase of 4% and a decrease of 8%, respectively.

Balance Sheet
At December 31, 2017, the Company had approximately $99 million of cash on hand and $770 million outstanding under the Company's $2 billion revolving term loan (the "Revolving Facility"). On February 27, 2018, the term of the Revolving Facility was extended so that it now matures on February 27, 2023.

Asset Impairment
At the end of each reporting period, the Company assesses each precious metal purchase agreement ("PMPA") to determine whether any indication of impairment exists. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the precious metal purchase agreement is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment (if any).

As per Barrick Gold Corp.'s ("Barrick") fourth quarter of 2017 MD&A, in January 2018, Barrick received a revised resolution from Chile's environmental regulator (the Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente, or "SMA") in connection with the previously disclosed SMA regulatory sanctions requiring the closure of existing infrastructure on the Chilean side of the Pascua-Lama project. Barrick has indicated that the resolution does not affect Barrick's ongoing evaluation of an underground, block-caving operation at Pascua-Lama, which would require additional permitting and regulatory approvals in both Argentina and Chile, unconnected to the recent SMA decision. In light of the order to close surface facilities in Chile, and current plans to evaluate an underground mine, Barrick has reclassified Pascua-Lama's Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves of approximately 14 million ounces of gold, which are based on an open pit mine plan, as Measured and Indicated Resources. As a result, Wheaton has also reclassified 151.7 million ounces of silver Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves associated with Pascua-Lama as Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources.

As this resolution affects Barrick's ability to advance the Pascua-Lama project as an open pit mine and coupled with the resulting reclassification of open-pit reserves to resources, the Company has determined there to be an indicator of impairment of this asset in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The Pascua-Lama PMPA had a carrying value at December 31, 2017 of $485 million. Management has estimated that the recoverable amount at December 31, 2017 under the Pascua-Lama PMPA was $256 million, representing its fair value less cost of disposal and resulting in an impairment charge of $229 million.

If the requirements of the completion test have not been satisfied by the completion test deadline of June 30, 2020, the Company may, within 90 days of such date, elect to terminate the Pascua Lama silver purchase agreement in which case the Company will be entitled to a return of a portion of the original upfront cash payment of $625 million, reduced by the cash flows received relative to the Lagunas Norte, Veladero, and Pierina mines. As at December 31, 2017, the Company has received approximately 19.1 million ounces related to silver production from these mines, generating cumulative operating cash flows of approximately $364 million.

Fourth Quarter Asset Highlights

During the fourth quarter of 2017, attributable production was 7.2 million ounces of silver and 96,500 ounces of gold, representing a decrease of 5% and 14%, respectively, compared with the fourth quarter of 2016.

Operational highlights for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, based upon counterparties' reporting, are as follows:

Salobo 
In the fourth quarter of 2017, Salobo produced 76,200 ounces of attributable gold, a decrease of approximately 2% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016 as lower grades and recovery were partially offset by increased throughput.

According to Vale S.A.'s ("Vale") fourth quarter of 2017 production report, production was positively impacted mainly due to stronger plant performance which resulted in record quarterly production of copper concentrate. The Salobo plant operated above nameplate capacity on average for a second consecutive quarter in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Peñasquito 
In the fourth quarter of 2017, Peñasquito produced 1.6 million ounces of attributable silver, an increase of approximately 18% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016 due to higher silver grades, recoveries and tonnage. According to Goldcorp Inc.'s ("Goldcorp") fourth quarter of 2017 MD&A, increased throughput at Peñasquito was driven by the implementation of a new management operating system and better ore delivery to the primary crusher.

According to Goldcorp, the Pyrite Leach Project ("PLP") at Peñasquito was 62% complete as of December 31, 2017, and expected to commence commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2018, three months ahead of schedule. The PLP is reportedly expected to recover approximately 40% of the gold and 48% of the silver currently reporting to the tailings, and is expected to add production of approximately 1 million ounces of gold and 44 million ounces of silver over the current life of the mine. As a reminder, Wheaton is entitled to 25% of the silver produced at Peñasquito for the life of mine, or 11 million of the additional 44 million silver ounces.

Antamina
In the fourth quarter of 2017, Antamina produced 1.5 million ounces of attributable silver, a decrease of approximately 8% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016 primarily due to lower grades and throughput, partially offset by higher recovery.

San Dimas
In the fourth quarter of 2017, San Dimas produced 1.3 million ounces of attributable silver, a decrease of approximately 7% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016 primarily due to a decrease in throughput, which was partially offset by better grades.

As announced on January 12, 2018, Wheaton has agreed to terminate the existing San Dimas silver purchase agreement (the "Primero SPA") with Primero and enter into a new precious metals purchase agreement with First Majestic relating to the San Dimas mine (the "San Dimas PMPA"), in conjunction with the proposed acquisition by First Majestic of Primero pursuant to a plan of arrangement transaction (the "Arrangement"). Under the San Dimas PMPA: 25% of gold production plus an additional amount of gold equal to 25% of silver production converted to gold at a fixed gold to silver exchange ratio of 70:1 from the San Dimas mine; for each ounce of gold delivered, Wheaton will pay to First Majestic a production payment equal to the lesser of US$600/oz, subject to a 1% annual inflationary adjustment, and the prevailing market price; and First Majestic will provide a corporate guarantee and security to be limited to San Dimas assets. As part of the transaction, in addition to the new stream, Wheaton will receive 20,914,590 First Majestic common shares. Primero has indicated that closing of the Arrangement is anticipated to occur before the end of April 2018.²

Sudbury
In the fourth quarter of 2017, Vale's Sudbury mines produced 8,600 ounces of attributable gold, a decrease of approximately 4% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016 primarily due to lower throughput, partially offset by higher grades and recovery. According to Vale's fourth quarter of 2017 production report, the decrease in throughput was primarily due to the extended unscheduled maintenance at the Coleman mine as well as the cessation of mining activities at the Stobie mine since the second quarter of 2017.

Constancia
In the fourth quarter of 2017, Constancia produced 0.7 million ounces of attributable silver and 2,900 ounces of attributable gold, a decrease of approximately 7% and 6%, respectively, relative to the fourth quarter of 2016. The decrease in production was primarily the result of the processing of lower grade ore as expected in Hudbay Mineral Inc.'s ("Hudbay") mine plan partially offset by higher throughput and silver recovery.

Other Gold
In the fourth quarter of 2017, total Other Gold attributable production was 8,800 ounces, a decrease of approximately 60% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016. The decrease was relatively in line with expectations and primarily due to the anticipated reduction of the Company's share of the gold production at the 777 mine from 100% to 50% effective January 1, 2017, coupled with reduced production at the Minto mine due to lower grades as part of the extended mine plan.

Other Silver
In the fourth quarter of 2017, total Other Silver attributable production was 2.2 million ounces, a decrease of approximately 13% relative to the fourth quarter of 2016. The decrease was driven primarily by the cessation of production from Cozamin as the Cozamin silver purchase agreement with Capstone Mining Corp. ("Capstone") expired on April 4, 2017. 

In October 2015, in order to incentivize additional exploration and potentially extend the limited remaining mine life of Stratoni, Wheaton and Eldorado Gold Corp. ("Eldorado") agreed to modify the Stratoni silver purchase agreement. The primary modification was to increase the production price per ounce of silver delivered to Wheaton based on the amount of exploration Eldorado completed. As a result, according to Eldorado's news release dated November 13, 2017, Eldorado has completed over 5,900 metres of underground exploration drilling that demonstrated continuity of the orebody into previously untested areas. Eldorado further reports that it has two drill rigs currently active at the mine testing additional stepouts to the deposit. 

Development Update - Kutcho
Effective December 14, 2017, Wheaton participated in an equity financing undertaken by Kutcho Copper Corp. ("Kutcho") in connection with the Kutcho Early Deposit Agreement, acquiring, by way of private placement, 6,153,846 common shares and warrants to acquire an additional 3,076,923 common shares of Kutcho for total consideration of $3 million (Cdn$4 million). Additionally, the Company advanced to Kutcho $16 million (Cdn$20 million) in exchange for a subordinated secured convertible term debt loan agreement receivable bearing interest at 10% per annum.

Produced But Not Yet Delivered ³
As at December 31, 2017, payable ounces attributable to the Company produced but not yet delivered³ amounted to 4.5 million payable silver ounces and 79,500 payable gold ounces, representing a decrease of 0.7 million payable silver ounces and 3,200 payable gold ounces during the three month period ended December 31, 2017. Payable silver ounces produced but not yet delivered decreased primarily as a result of decreases related to the Yauliyacu, Antamina, Zinkgruvan and Peñasquito silver interests. Payable gold ounces produced but not yet delivered decreased primarily as a result of decreases related to the Sudbury gold interest partially offset by increases at the Salobo and Minto gold interests. Payable ounces produced but not yet delivered to the Wheaton Precious Metals group of companies are expected to average approximately two months of annualized production for silver and two to three months for gold but may vary from quarter to quarter due to a number of mining operation factors including mine ramp-up and timing of shipments.

Detailed mine-by-mine production and sales figures can be found in the Appendix to this press release and in Wheaton's consolidated MD&A in the 'Results of Operations and Operational Review' section.

Events Subsequent to the Quarter

Minto Mine
As per Capstone's news release dated February 2, 2018, Capstone has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement pursuant to which it has agreed to sell its Minto mine to Pembridge Resources plc ("Pembridge"). Capstone expects the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2018. According to Capstone's fourth quarter of 2017 MD&A, at the start of 2017, it was Capstone's intention to place the Minto mine on care and maintenance at the end of 2017, but as a result of rising copper prices and the downside protection provided by the renegotiation of the precious metals stream with Wheaton in 2017, Capstone had made the decision to continue operations until at least mid-2021.

Reserves and Resources

As of December 31, 2017, Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves attributable to Wheaton were 572.8 million ounces of silver compared with 727.8 million ounces as reported in Wheaton's 2016 Annual Information Form ("AIF"), a decrease of 21%, and 11.31 million ounces of gold compared with 11.41 million ounces, a decrease of 1%. On an attributable Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource basis, silver resources were 894.2 million ounces compared with 807.3 million ounces as reported in Wheaton's 2016 AIF, an increase of 11%, and gold resources were 2.81 million ounces compared with 2.97 million ounces, a decrease of 5%. On an attributable Inferred Mineral Resource basis, silver resources were 452.0 million ounces compared with 381.2 million ounces as reported in Wheaton's 2016 AIF, an increase of 19%, and gold resources were 2.76 million ounces compared with 2.80 million ounces, a decrease of 1%. 

Estimated attributable reserves and resources contained in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of March 21, 2018, and therefore will not reflect updates, if any, after that date, including those changes associated with the termination of the Primero SPA and entering into of the San Dimas PMPA by Wheaton. Updated reserves and resources data incorporating year-end 2017 estimates will also be included in the Company's 2017 Annual Information Form. Wheaton's most current attributable reserves and resources, as of December 31, 2017, can be found on the Company's website at www.wheatonpm.com.

2018 and Long-Term Production Forecast

Wheaton is pleased to provide its updated one-year and long-term production guidance. Wheaton's estimated attributable silver and gold production in 2018 is forecast to be approximately 22.5 million silver ounces and 355,000 gold ounces. Estimated average annual attributable silver and gold production over the next five years (including 2018) is anticipated to be approximately 25 million silver ounces and 370,000 gold ounces per year.  

In 2018, forecast production growth from Peñasquito and Constancia is expected to be offset by the changes in the San Dimas stream as well as the cessation of production from assets with fixed terms. In conjunction with First Majestic's proposed acquisition of Primero, the Primero SPA is expected to terminate and a new precious metals purchase agreement entered into at a reduced level starting in the second quarter of 2018. In addition, the 10-year-term contract on Capstone's Cozamin mine, acquired with Wheaton's 2009 acquisition of Silverstone, expired in April 2017, and Wheaton's streaming agreement with Barrick regarding Pascua-Lama provides the Company with silver production from the Lagunas Norte, Veladero, and Pierina mines until March 31, 2018.

Average production over the next five years is expected to increase primarily due to continued production growth from both Peñasquito and Constancia. At Peñasquito, grades are expected to increase over the next several years and the PLP, which should increase recoveries, is scheduled to be commissioned later in 2018. At Constancia, Hudbay expects to begin mining the Pampacancha deposit in the second half of 2018, which has significantly higher precious metals grades than what is currently being mined; however, should the mining of the Pampacancha deposit be delayed, Wheaton will be entitled to an increased portion of gold from Hudbay. And lastly, as a reminder, Wheaton does not include any production from Barrick's Pascua-Lama project or Hudbay's Rosemont project in its estimated average five-year production guidance.

Attributable mine-by-mine actual 2016 and 2017 production and forecast 2018 production are as follows:

Dividend

First Quarterly Dividend
The first quarterly cash dividend for 2018 of US$0.09 will be paid to holders of record of Wheaton Precious Metals common shares as of the close of business on April 6, 2018, and will be distributed on or about April 20, 2018.

Under the Company's dividend policy, the quarterly dividend per common share will be equal to 30% of the average cash generated by operating activities in the previous four quarters divided by the Company's then outstanding common shares, all rounded to the nearest cent. 

The declaration, timing, amount and payment of future dividends remain at the discretion of the Board of Directors. This dividend qualifies as an 'eligible dividend' for Canadian income tax purposes.

Dividend Reinvestment Plan
The Company has previously implemented a Dividend Reinvestment Plan ("DRIP"). Participation in the DRIP is optional. For the purposes of this fourth quarterly dividend, the Company has elected to issue common shares under the DRIP through treasury at a 3% discount to the Average Market Price, as defined in the DRIP. However, the Company may, from time to time, in its discretion, change or eliminate the discount applicable to Treasury Acquisitions, as defined in the DRIP, or direct that such common shares be purchased in Market Acquisitions, as defined in the DRIP, at the prevailing market price, any of which would be publicly announced.

The DRIP and enrollment forms are available for download on the Company's website at www.wheatonpm.com, accessible by quick links directly from the home page, and can also be found in the 'investors' section, under the 'dividends' tab.

Registered shareholders may also enroll in the DRIP online through the plan agent's self-service web portal at: https://www.canstockta.com/en/InvestorServices/Investor_Information/Issuer_List/IssuerDetail.jsp?companyCode=1501.

Beneficial shareholders should contact their financial intermediary to arrange enrollment. All shareholders considering enrollment in the DRIP should carefully review the terms of the DRIP and consult with their advisors as to the implications of enrollment in the DRIP.

This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer of securities. A registration statement relating to the DRIP has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and may be obtained under the Company's profile on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov. A written copy of the prospectus included in the registration statement may be obtained by contacting the Corporate Secretary of the Company at 1021 West Hastings Street, Suite 3500, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6E 0C3.

Webcast and Conference Call Details

A conference call and webcast will be held Thursday, March 22, 2018, starting at 11:00 am (Eastern Time) to discuss these results. To participate in the live call, please use one of the following methods:

Participants should dial in five to ten minutes before the call.

The conference call will be recorded and available until March 29, 2018 at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time). The webcast will be available for one year. You can listen to an archive of the call by one of the following methods:

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with Wheaton Precious Metals' MD&A and Financial Statements, which are available on the Company's website at www.wheatonpm.com and have been posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Mr. Neil Burns, Vice President, Technical Services for Wheaton Precious Metals, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information including information on mineral reserves and mineral resources disclosed in this news release.

Wheaton Precious Metals believes that there are no significant differences between its corporate governance practices and those required to be followed by United States domestic issuers under the NYSE listing standards. This confirmation is located on the Wheaton Precious Metals website at http://www.wheatonpm.com/Company/corporate-governance/default.aspx.  

End Notes
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Summarized Financial Results

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Summary of Ounces Produced

Summary of Ounces Sold 

Results of Operations

The Company currently has eight reportable operating segments: the silver produced by the San Dimas, Peñasquito and Antamina mines, the gold produced by the Sudbury and Salobo mines, the silver and gold produced by the Constancia mine and the Other mines, and corporate operations.

On a silver equivalent and gold equivalent basis, results for the Company for the three months ended December 31, 2017 were as follows: