Iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart has invested $8.7 million into copper explorer White Cliff Minerals Ltd (ASX: WCN), sending its shares more than 20% higher.

Major investment to drive exploration

Ms Rinehart’s company, Hancock Prospecting, has acquired the stake via a private placement, which constitutes about 13.5% of White Cliff’s shares on issue.

The money raised via the placement will be used to expand and accelerate the company’s exploration activities at the Rae copper project.

White Cliff’s Managing Director, Troy Whittaker, said:

Hancock Prospecting’s decision to invest is a major milestone for White Cliff and powerful third-party validation of what we are building at Rae. We have spent the past two seasons demonstrating that Rae can deliver exceptional grades across a mineralised system with genuine district-scale potential. The timing could not be more compelling. Copper prices have reached record highs, supply is tightening and global demand continues to grow. The search for large, high-quality new copper discoveries has rarely been more important, and we believe Rae has the potential to become one of them.

Mr Whittaker said the money would help accelerate drilling at the Danvers one deposit, “aggressively test the scale” of Danvers two and three, and advance exploration across the broader area.

He added:

We are still at an early stage in understanding the full scale of this system, but the results to date demand an ambitious program, and that is exactly what we now intend to deliver.

The issue of shares to Hancock Prospecting is subject to shareholder approval. White Cliff intends to hold a meeting in mid-October to hold a vote on the placement.  

White Cliff shares traded as high as 2.1 cents on the news before settling back to be 17.7% higher at 2 cents.

The company is valued at $56.2 million.

Recent results are promising

White Cliff in early September released new drilling results, including an intersection of 6.18% copper over a length of 23 metres from drill hole DAN26036 at the Danvers three discovery.

Mr Whittaker said of the results:

DAN26036 is exactly the type of result we want from step-out drilling. More than 220m from DAN26012, it has delivered 23m at 6.18% Cu, including 3.90m at 16.45% Cu and a new Danvers record assay of 23.5% Cu – Assays that demonstrate thick and high-grade continuity of the copper mineralisation. The high-grade zone remains open, with another 248m still untested towards the next drillhole in the southwest.

The post A Gina Rinehart investment has fired up this ASX copper stock appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

If you’re looking to bank an extra $5,000 a year in passive income, should you buy National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), or Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares?

All of the big four S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stocks have a lengthy history of paying twice-yearly dividends. But there are some marked differences in both the yields you might expect, as well as the level of franking credits you may receive.

We’ll look at the past year’s share price moves and passive income payouts from CBA, NAB, ANZ, and Westpac shares below.

Just bear in mind that the yields you generally see quoted are trailing yields. Future yields may be higher or lower depending on a range of macroeconomic and company-specific factors.

With that in mind…

Tapping the ASX 200 banks for $5,000 in passive income

Kicking off with the biggest ASX 200 bank stock, CBA shares closed on Monday trading for $154.97 each. That sees the CBA share price down 8.3% over the last 12 months.

On the passive income front, CBA paid (or shortly will pay) two fully-franked dividends totalling $5.05 a share over the full year. CBA shares trade ex-dividend on 19 August. Eligible stockholders will receive the final dividend on 29 September.

At Monday’s closing price, then, CBA trades on a fully-franked dividend yield of 3.3%.

Moving on, NAB shares closed yesterday at $38.72 each, putting the NAB share price down 11.6% over 12 months.

Over the time, NAB paid two fully-franked dividends totalling $1.70 a share. This sees NAB trading on a fully-franked dividend yield of 4.4%.

Next up, ANZ shares ended Monday trading for $37.54. Unlike the other big four ASX 200 bank stocks, ANZ shares have gained 13.8% over the past 12 months. Over this period, ANZ paid two dividends (franked at 70% and 75%), totalling $1.66 a share.

At Monday’s close, ANZ shares trade on a partly franked dividend yield of 4.4%.

And last up, Westpac shares closed on Monday at $34.53 each, which sees the ASX bank stock down 10.9% over 12 months.

As for that passive income, Westpac paid two fully-franked dividends over the full year, totalling $1.54 a share. Westpac stock trades on a fully-franked 4.5% trailing dividend yield.

Which ASX 200 bank stock to buy?

While all four ASX 200 banks offer reliable dividend payments, Westpac is well ahead of CBA and edges out ANZ and NAB shares with the best yield. And it provides full franking credits.

For $5,000 a year in passive income, based on the trailing yield, you’d need to buy 3,247 Westpac shares today.

The post Westpac, ANZ, NAB or CBA shares? Which ASX bank stock should I buy for $5,000 a year in passive income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) share price is in focus today as the gold miner outlined its long-term plan to deliver sector-leading margins and future growth, supported by higher copper exposure and a robust project pipeline.

What did Evolution Mining report?

• FY27 production guidance: 660,000–730,000 ounces of gold, 63,000–70,000 tonnes of copper.
• All-in Sustaining Cost (AISC) guidance: $1,795–$1,995 per ounce.
• Portfolio reserve life: 17 years on average, with a target of up to 8 assets in Tier 1 regions.
• Industry-leading EBITDA margins, driven by high-margin copper and gold assets.
• Investment-grade balance sheet and strong cash generation to fund growth.

What else do investors need to know?

Evolution Mining highlighted several growth projects across its portfolio, including developments at Cowal, Ernest Henry, and Northparkes. The company is focusing on expanding copper production, with mill upgrades and exploration in progress to support future output.

Evolution remains disciplined with capital management, emphasising sustainable cash flows and returns to shareholders through the cycle. Exploration success has extended mine life and resource base across existing and greenfield assets, supporting ongoing value creation.

What did Evolution Mining management say?

Lawrie Conway, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer said:

Today’s investor briefing will demonstrate why Evolution’s portfolio has significant growth options available that can support sustainable returns for multi-decades. Our long-life high-margin assets, significant and growing copper exposure, and a robust balance sheet, gives confidence in our ability to generate sustainable cash flows, invest in future growth, and create lasting value for shareholders.

What’s next for Evolution Mining?

Looking ahead, Evolution Mining plans to ramp up production from its new and existing operations while maintaining a focus on margin over sheer output. Projects such as the Cowal underground, Ernest Henry’s Bert expansion, and Northparkes mill upgrade are set to drive further growth in gold and copper production.

The company’s strategy centres on disciplined investment in Tier 1 assets, sustainable cost management, and leveraging copper demand to deliver long-term, stable returns to shareholders.

Evolution Mining share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Evolution Mining shares have risen 44%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 2% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Evolution Mining reveals copper-driven growth and sector-leading margins appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.