CHICAGO, May 31, 2026, 4:02 PM (CDT)
- Coeur Mining ended Friday at $19.32, a gain of 3.93% on the day, and jumped 9.59% for the week in U.S. trading that was cut short by the holiday.
- The company has used about $69.7 million of its $750 million buyback program so far, leaving $680.3 million still available.
- Gold bounced back Friday. However, traders are still focused on rate concerns and the U.S. jobs data out June 5, which looks like the next key test for mining stocks.
Coeur Mining shares jumped on Friday, closing out the shortened U.S. trading week higher. The stock found buyers as precious-metals prices climbed and the miner’s capital-return plan held support, even with a volatile May for gold.
Shares ended Friday at $19.32, a gain of 3.93% on the session and up 9.59% for the past week. With U.S. stock markets shut Monday for Memorial Day, trading was limited to four days.
Timing is key here. Coeur has shifted from fixing its balance sheet and expanding mines to being a bigger North American precious-metals player. Investors are waiting to see if cash from gold and silver will back buybacks, a new dividend, and more spending across its bigger mine portfolio.
Peers moved higher too. Pan American Silver climbed 3.4% on Friday. First Majestic Silver was up 2.5% and Hecla Mining added 1.1%, latest U.S. market data showed. The moves tracked Coeur, as silver and gold stocks rebounded.
Metals saw a mixed but firmer finish by Friday. Spot gold was up over 1%, Reuters said, after headlines about a possible extension to the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Spot silver traded flat at $75.62 an ounce, though it was on track for a monthly gain. Phillip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures, said the “higher-for-longer” rates story is still in place, pointing out that gold, which offers no yield, can lag when rates are high. Reuters
Coeur shares picked up another catalyst from its earnings. The company posted first-quarter revenue at $856 million, operating cash flow of $341 million and $475 million in adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, is used to track operating profit before those costs.
Chief Executive Mitchell Krebs said the quarter was a “strong start” to what the company thinks will be a record year. He added Coeur is “equipped to deliver” on its larger platform now that the New Gold deal closed on March 20. Coeur Mining
The acquisition is still at the center of the week-ahead story. New Afton and Rainy River only added 11 days of output in the first quarter, so the second quarter should let investors see more of what the combined business can do. Coeur stuck with its 2026 guidance: 680,000 to 815,000 ounces of gold, 18.7 million to 21.9 million ounces of silver, and 50 million to 65 million pounds of copper.
The buyback is another thing holding up the stock. A share repurchase happens when a company buys back its own shares and takes them out of circulation. Coeur said in a May 15 filing it bought 3.99 million shares at an average of $17.46. That includes around $60 million of stock bought in May at an average price of $18.91.
Coeur has now become a dividend-paying stock. The company announced a $0.02-per-share semiannual dividend for the first half of 2026, with payment due June 10. The record date ended up as May 22 since the NYSE was closed for Memorial Day on May 25.
Coeur took its pitch to metals investors in London last week, using its Raymond James Silver Conference deck to show off a new financial policy. The focus is on mine spending, keeping the balance sheet flexible, and sending cash to shareholders. The materials included the larger $750 million buyback and Coeur’s first $0.02 semiannual dividend.
The setup isn’t all upside. Shares could take a hit if gold or silver prices dip, if the U.S. jobs report beats, yields jump, or if New Afton and Rainy River integration runs into trouble. Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals, told Reuters last week, “the biggest influence continues to be the Middle East.” Bank of America also said silver could have a hard time outperforming gold for long if demand drops. Reuters
Market attention is on Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report. Reuters said investors want to see if steady job gains and sticky inflation swing Fed expectations more hawkish. Liz Ann Sonders of the Schwab Center for Financial Research said a strong payrolls number, paired with higher inflation, could push the policy view.
June starts with a mixed signal for Coeur. The company is showing cash flow, has a buyback in place, and its mine base is bigger, but the stock acts like a metals trade. If gold and silver stay strong, the buyback might get more attention. If rates climb, Friday’s pop could just be another sharp swing for a volatile mining stock.