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Highlights

  • NHC’s reported a 21.98% YoY increase in revenue for the first half of FY2025, reaching AUD 1,052.65 million.
  • The New Acland mine is expected to achieve a production of approximately 5Mtpa by 2027.
  • In FY25, NHC targets ROM coal production of 15.93 – 17.45 million tones and coal sales of 10.41 to 11.45 million tonnes.

New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX:NHC) is an Australian energy company focused on coal mining in Queensland and New South Wales. The company also operates two open-cut thermal coal mines - the New Acland project in Queensland and Bengalla mines in New South Wales.

In the first half of financial year 2025 (H1FY25), NHC’s revenue increased by 21.98% YoY to AUD 1,052.65 million compared to AUD 862.95 million in H1FY24. The saleable coal production rose 32.9% YoY to AUD 5.4 million tonnes. On the other hand, the group’s free on rail (FOR) cash cost fell by 23.5% YoY to AUD 55.5 per tonne, driven by higher production and disciplined cost control.

Subsequently, net profit after tax surged by 35% YoY to AUD 340.31 million in 1HFY25, with net cash flow from operating activities more than doubled to AUD 316.90 million.

In the third quarter of FY25 (3QFY25), underlying EBITDA of NHC reached AUD 155.2 million, down 27% QoQ, primarily due to lower realised coal prices. Coal sales rose to approximately 2.74 million tonnes, representing a 3% increase QoQ.
Safety performance improved during the reported period, with the total recordable injury frequency (TRIFR) decreasing to 3.65 by the end of the quarter.

Shareholder Returns and Strategic Investments

The company has announced on-market share buy-back of up to AUD 100 million, along with an interim dividend of 19.0 cents.

NHC has increased equity interest in Malabar Resources Limited to 22.97% and is expected to further increase exposure to high-quality metallurgical coal.

Company Outlook

The New Acland mine is expected to achieve a production of approximately 5Mtpa by 2027. Meanwhile, the Bengalla mine is expected to maintain its increased capacity of 13.4Mtpa.

 The company projects ROM coal production of 15.93 to 17.45 million tonnes and coal sales of 10.41 to 11.45 million tonnes in FY25.

According to the IEA, global coal demand grew by 1.2% in 2024 in energy terms, indicating ongoing reliance on coal for energy despite the energy transition.

Top 10 Shareholders of NHC

The top 10 shareholders of NHC together form 55.75% of the total shareholding. Washington H Soul Pattinson and Company Ltd has the highest stake in the firm with a shareholding of 39.24%, followed by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc with 5.80% shareholding.

Share performance of NHC

Shares of NHC closed at AUD 3.840 on 27 May 2025, gaining 1.86% intraday or AUD 0.070. The share has shown signs of recovery in the near term, rising 4.35% over the past month and 4.63% month-to-date. However, broader trends remain negative, with the stock down 23.96% over the past year and 22.58% year-to-date.

The company’s 52-week high of AUD 5.300 was recorded on 1 October 2024, while the 52-week low of AUD 3.330 occurred on 7 April 2025.

Support and Resistance Summary

Note 1: Past performance is neither an Indicator nor a guarantee of future performance.

Note 2: The reference date for all price data, and currency, is 28 May 2025. The reference data in this report has been partly sourced from EODHD/Others.

 

Technical Indicators Defined:

Support: A level at which the stock prices tend to find support if they are falling, and a downtrend may take a pause backed by demand or buying interest. Support 1 refers to the nearby support level for the stock and if the price breaches the level, then Support 2 may act as the crucial support level for the stock.

Resistance: A level at which the stock prices tend to find resistance when they are rising, and an uptrend may take a pause due to profit booking or selling interest. Resistance 1 refers to the nearby resistance level for the stock and if the price surpasses the level, then Resistance 2 may act as the crucial resistance level for the stock.