News for investors: Barrick settles Mali dispute and Couche-Tard profit climbs

Barrick Mining reaches deal to settle dispute with government in Mali

Barrick Mining Corp. says it has signed a deal with the government of Mali to resolve their dispute over the company’s Loulo and Gounkoto mines. The miner has been in conflict with Mali’s military rulers over alleged unpaid taxes and unfair contracts with past governments. 

A judge in Mali ordered in June that Barrick’s Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex be placed under provisional administration for six months. 

Under the deal announced Monday, Barrick says all charges brought against the company, its affiliates, and employees will be dropped and steps for the release of the four detained Barrick employees will be undertaken. It also says that the provisional administration of the Loulo-Gounkoto complex will be terminated and operational control will be handed back to the company. 

Barrick says its subsidiaries will withdraw the arbitration claims pending before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Alimentation Couche-Tard earns US$740.6M in Q2, rising from the previous year

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. says its net earnings attributable to shareholders came in at US$740.6 million during the second quarter, compared with US$708.8 million for the same period a year earlier. This amounted to 79 cents US per share in net earnings attributable to shareholders, rising from 75 cents US during the prior year quarter.  

The Laval, Que.-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its revenue amounted to US$17.9 billion during the period ended Oct. 12, up 2.6% year-over-year from US$17.4 billion. 

Total merchandise and service revenues came in at US$4.7 billion during the second quarter, rising 6.6% from the same period a year earlier. 

Couche-Tard CEO Alex Miller says the company reported same-store sales growth across all of its geographies for the second straight quarter. 

Filipe Da Silva, Couche-Tard’s chief financial officer, says in a press release that the company bought back nearly US$900 million of its shares during the quarter. 

Blue Ant Media Group signs deal to buy Thunderbird Entertainment for $89 million

Blue Ant Media Corp. has signed a stock-and-cash agreement worth $89 million to buy Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. Blue Ant chief executive Michael MacMillan says the acquisition of Thunderbird is expected to add scale and complementary capabilities that strengthen Blue Ant’s studio business and enhance its earnings and cash flow.

Vancouver-based Thunderbird’s production businesses include Atomic Cartoons and Great Pacific Media.

Under the deal, Thunderbird shareholders will have the option to receive 0.2165 of a Blue Ant subordinate voting share, $1.77 in cash or a combination both for each Thunderbird share they hold. The maximum amount of cash available under the offer is limited to $40 million.

The deal, which requires shareholder approval, is also subject to customary closing conditions including court and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.

Brookfield and GIC make offer for Australia’s National Storage REIT

Canada’s Brookfield and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC have made a takeover offer for National Storage REIT, an Australian self-storage company, valued at about A$4 billion or the equivalent of roughly C$3.7 billion.

National Storage confirmed it has received an unsolicited, non-binding, indicative and conditional proposal. The company has about 94,500 residential and commercial customers at more than 270 storage centres across Australia and New Zealand.

Under terms of the offer, National Storage securityholders would receive A$2.86 cash per stapled security. 

The offer is being made on the basis that a dividend or distribution of six Australian cents may be paid, in which case, the cash payable per stapled security will be reduced by the same amount.

National Storage has given the consortium making the offer until Dec. 7 to conduct due diligence and put forward a binding offer.

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