Lundin Mining (“Lundin”) (TSX:LUN) In mid-November, Lundin announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell its holding in an entity called TF Holdings Ltd. TF is the entity through which Lundin and Freeport-McMoRan have for many years controlled a Central African copper mine called Tenke Fungurume. The Lundin transaction essentially is the sale of a 24% economic interest in the mine for the agreed price of CAD 1.14 billion. This transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2017 and would add considerable cash to what is already one of the mining industry’s best balance sheets. While Tenke Fungurume is an unusually high quality mine, its jurisdiction can at times be an unusually challenging place to do business. We view the transaction price as reasonable and look positively upon the prospective reduction of political risk embedded within Lundin. With the transaction proceeds Lundin would also bolster its position as one of the very few companies in a position to acquire mining assets at one of the rare times when some very decent assets may be available for sale.
From Third Avenue Management (Trades, Portfolio)'s International Value Fund fourth quarter 2016 commentary.
