Ignacio Rosado
Analyst · Citi
Thank you, Rodrigo, and good morning, everyone. Starting on Slide #3, our main highlights. The first quarter of 2026 was a strong start to the year. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled year-over-year to $283 million with a margin of nearly 32%. Net income was $118 million or $0.67 per share, and net leverage continued to come down, closing the quarter at 1.59x, half a turn lower than where we were a year ago, benefited by a strong last 12 months adjusted EBITDA. Three things drove the results: a constructive price environment across our entire metal mix, most notably silver, where prices averaged 164% above the first quarter of 2025; higher sales volumes in both segments; and operating performance that continues to improve, particularly at Aripuana, which delivered another quarterly production record. The quarter was not without challenges, heavy rainfall at Cerro Lindo, and illegal community blockade at Atacocha and a shaft constraint at El Porvenir, all impacted the Peruvian production sequentially. Those issues have been addressed and the affected operations returned to normal run rates. In mining, zinc production reached 79,000 tonnes, up 18% year-over-year, with all 5 mines benefiting from improved ore grades. In smelting, zinc metal and oxide sales totaled 147,000 tonnes, up year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter, supported by ongoing operational improvements at our Brazilian smelters and continued solid performance at Cajamarquilla. The negative free cash flow in the quarter is consistent with our typical first quarter seasonality, reflecting working capital buildup and tax payments. We expect this to unwind over the coming quarters, reinforcing expectations of strong free cash flow generation in 2026. Let me move to Slide #4 for a closer look at the mining segment. Year-over-year, the 18% increase in zinc production reflects better ore grades across all of our operations. Quarter-over-quarter, the decline was driven by the temporary constraints at the Peruvian mines. Cash cost net of byproducts came in at negative $0.76 per pound, well below our 2026 guidance range, driven by stronger byproduct credits following from higher zinc, copper, silver and gold prices. Cost per run of mine was $57 per tonne, in line with guidance. The year-over-year increase was driven by the appreciation of the Brazilian real, higher maintenance costs and higher variable costs in specific operations. The financial picture for the segment is strong. Net revenues of $460 million and adjusted EBITDA of $231 million, translating into a 50% EBITDA margin, the kind of operating leverage we expect when prices and volumes both move in the right direction. On Slide #5, I will talk about Aripuana. Aripuana was the standout asset of the quarter. We produced 13,000 tonnes of zinc, a quarterly record since the operation reached commercial production, supported by higher grades, better plant utilization and improved operational stability. On the fourth tailings filter, construction and installation were completed in late April. Commissioning started now in early May and is expected to be concluded in the second quarter. Once fully operational, the filter materially reduces our exposure to weather-driven throughput disruptions during the rainy season. Exploration continued to deliver encouraging results in the quarter. At Massaranduba, we hit a 16.6-meter intercept grading, 9.6% zinc and 3% lead, additional confirmation of the long-term potential of the district. Now to Slide #6 for the Cerro Pasco integration project. Phase 1 of the Cerro Pasco integration project remained firmly on schedule during the quarter. We completed a slope stabilization at the construction site, started civil works and structural assembly of the pump building and concluded the manufacturing, testing and packaging of the main equipment, including the thickener and pumps, as you can see in the picture on the bottom of the slide. These are important technical milestones. Looking ahead, we expect civil works to be completed and electromechanical assembly to progress through the 2026. Construction is targeted for completion in the third quarter of this year with full project finalization expected in the fourth quarter of this year. We then begin the operating authorization process, which positions the start of the pumping for the second quarter of 2027. On the broader regulatory front, the second MEIA for El Porvenir and the third for Atacocha are under evaluation by SENACE, and we currently expect both approvals in the first quarter of 2027. Preparatory studies for Phase 2, including the Picasso shaft assessment also continued to advance during the quarter. This is one of the most important strategic levers in our portfolio. The integration extends life of mine at the Cerro Pasco complex beyond 15 years, lift the average NSR of the life of the operation and consolidates our position in one of Peru's most prospective polymetallic districts. Now on Slide #7, I will talk about our smelting segment. In smelting, zinc, metal and oxide sales of 147,000 tonnes were up year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter. The Brazilian units are recovering their production pattern with Juiz de Fora producing 56% more zinc than in the first quarter of last year and Tres Marias 17%. Cajamarquilla continued to operate at solid levels. Cash cost net of byproducts was $1.40 per pound, slightly above the upper end of our annual guidance, reflecting higher zinc LME prices and lower TCs impacting concentrate purchases. We expect this to ease modestly over the next quarters as our Peruvian operations return to normal run rates, reducing third-party concentrate need. Conversion cost was $0.34 per pound, in line with our 2026 guidance. Starting this quarter, we have expanded our earnings release to include byproduct sales performance, sulfuric acid, silver content and copper cement. As byproducts become a more expressive part of segment economics, we want to make those drivers more transparent for the market. Net revenues for the segment were $609 million with adjusted EBITDA of $51 million, an 8% margin. The margin reflects the structural pressure on global smelter economics from very low TCs. With that, I will hand the call over to Jose Carlos del Valle, our CFO, for the financial review.
José del Valle Castro: Thank you, Ignacio, and good morning, everyone. Let's turn to Slide #8 for an overview of our financial performance. We started the year carrying momentum from our fourth quarter of 2025, a favorable price environment combined with stronger operational execution. Net revenues totaled $888 million, up 42% year-over-year and down 2% sequentially. The year-over-year increase was driven by higher metal prices across our portfolio, evidencing a $158 million larger byproduct contribution and improved performance in both the mining and smelting segments. The sequential decline reflects lower mining sales volumes, partially offset by higher smelting sales and stronger byproduct pricing. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $283 million, up 126% year-over-year with a margin of 31.8%. The year-over-year improvement reflects price realization, operational leverage from higher volumes in both segments and stronger byproduct credits. Sequentially, EBITDA was 6% lower, driven mainly by higher unit costs from increased third-party concentrate consumption required to compensate for the temporarily lower output at our own Peruvian mines this quarter. We expect this to normalize as those operations return to full run rates. Now to investments on Slide #9. We invested $72 million in CapEx during the first quarter, about 19% of our full year guidance, in line with the typical 20% to 25% first quarter pace. The bulk went into sustaining activities, mine development and tailing storage facilities. Phase 1 of the Cerro Pasco integration project accounted for $8 million in the quarter versus a $31 million guidance for the full year. We reaffirm our total 2026 CapEx guidance of $381 million with disbursements weighted towards the back of the year as project execution intensifies, particularly for Cerro Pasco Phase 1. On exploration and project evaluation, we invested $16 million in the quarter, mainly in exploration drilling and mine development. We also reaffirm our full year guidance of $86 million. With that, let's turn to Slide #10 to review our cash flow for the quarter. Starting with our adjusted EBITDA of $283 million and adjusting for non-operational items, our operating cash flow before working capital was strong at $308 million. From there, $72 million went to CapEx and $81 million went to pay interest and taxes. Working capital and other variations were negative $283 million in the quarter, in line with what we typically see in the first quarter of every year. Furthermore, this quarter, we made significant tax payments related to the stronger results we had in 2025, paid out annual bonuses and settled year-end confirming payables across our jurisdictions. As before, we expect this to reverse substantially over the coming quarters, both as part of the natural intra-year seasonality and as we push initiatives to continue to improve our cash conversion cycle. Moving along, we also see that foreign exchange added a positive $6 million. And on the financing side, in Brazil, we drew a new $40 million 6-month loan at a very competitive interest rate. This was partially offset by regular debt service and lease payments, resulting in a net cash inflow of $21 million. In addition, we distributed $25 million in dividends to non-controlling interest. With that, free cash flow for the quarter closed at negative $126 million. Let's move to Slide #11 to discuss liquidity, indebtedness and credit rating. Our liquidity position remains healthy. We ended the quarter with $716 million in total liquidity, including the undrawn $320 million sustainability-linked revolving credit facility. As you can see, our cash on hand alone is enough to cover pretty much all financial commitments over the next 4 years. Average debt maturities stood at 7.2 years at quarter end with an average cost of debt of 6.27%, an improvement from the 6.49% at the end of 2025. Net leverage continued to come down at 1.59x versus 1.69x in the prior quarter and 2.09x a year ago. The improvement was driven primarily by stronger last 12-month EBITDA of $929 million. Looking ahead, we remain committed to disciplined deleveraging, focusing on reducing gross debt over time, lowering interest expense and maintaining net leverage below 1.7x throughout 2026, while preserving our investment-grade rating and competitive cost of capital. With that, I'll hand it back to Rodrigo for the market fundamentals section.