The Glencore share price is suffocating under a cloud of coal, and I wonder whether management can clean up its image and return the stock to growth!

Glencore’s share price fell 20% last month even before releasing lacklustre results. I’m uncovering possible reasons for the mining giant’s troubles.

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

Environmental technology concept.

Image source: Getty Images

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

July wasn’t a great month for Glencore (LSE: GLEN) shareholders like myself. The share price dropped almost 20% between 5 July and 5 August — one of the sharpest declines since mid-2022. A mild recovery saw it regain 4% but that may have been scuppered by last week’s disappointing H1 2024 results.

The miner suffered a per-share loss of 1.9c (down from 3.6c profit in H1 2023) and a net loss of $233m (down from a $4.57bn profit in H1 2023). This is despite revenue increasing 9% to $117bn, beating analyst expectations by 13%.

The share price gained 4% in the days following the results announcement but has slipped slightly since.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3Glencore Plc PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALLwww.fool.co.uk

Bribery allegations

The 20% drop last month wasn’t all that surprising. The FTSE 100 mining giant has been suffering bad press lately in the wake of a Swiss bribery probe that amounted to a £152m fine. The investigation pertains to an alleged incident in 2011 involving a Congolese public official and a business partner of the miner.

According to Glencore, authorities couldn’t identify whether it knew about the incident or benefited from it. However, it agreed to pay the penalty in order to close the case. In 2022, the miner paid $1bn in penalties after pleading guilty to bribery and market manipulation. Several former executives of the company have also been charged with bribery-related offences.

Environmental gamble

In another potential blow to its image, the company recently abandoned plans to offload its coal division after pushback from shareholders. When competitor Anglo American demerged its coal mining business in 2021, Glencore came under pressure to follow suit. However, it seems a recent change in sentiment regarding fossil fuels resulted in the u-turn.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings have been a big driver for investors for the past five years. However, in recent months, many have begun to question the model’s efficacy. Limited transparency and a lack of regulatory oversight have tarnished the rating system’s legitimacy. And with many renewable energy solutions slow to turn a profit, investors are losing patience.

However, coal will forever be a black mark on the climate change wall of shame and this reversal could leave a bad smell for Glencore. Satisfying shareholders today may be beneficial in the short term but could prove a risky gamble for the future.

The bottom line

From a valuation viewpoint, I believe Glencore stock is still an attractive investment. Its share price is undervalued by 16.3% based on future cash flow estimates and although it’s now unprofitable, it has a good price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 0.3. This figure derives from sales worth $227.5bn — three times more than the company’s market cap of $63.7bn.

The slip into unprofitability is also not uncommon for Glencore. The company suffered similar bouts of negative earnings in 2016 and 2020 – only to achieve new record earnings in subsequent years. With strong cash flows and a relatively stable balance sheet, I doubt a brief drop in earnings will affect its operations. 

What exactly the company plans to do about its public image is another question altogether.

I hope it has a plan.

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

Mark Hartley has positions in Glencore Plc. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

More on Investing Articles

Investing Articles

2 things to remember when stock markets are turbulent

US trade policy has rattled the stock markets in New York, London and elsewhere. Our writer outlines a couple of…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Are Trump’s tariffs a once-in-a-lifetime chance for ISA investors to get rich?

The £20,000 Stocks and Shares ISA limit will reset on 6 April. Smart investors could use current market volatility to…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Here are the latest Persimmon share price and dividend forecasts

Our writer looks at the latest forecasts for the Persimmon share price and considers what level of dividend the stock…

Read more »

British Pennies on a Pound Note
Investing Articles

Up 900%, could penny share Kodal Minerals have further to run?

Over five years, this penny share has increased in value by a factor of 10. Could the latest news persuade…

Read more »

Investing Articles

3 world-class stocks to consider buying, while they’re ‘on sale’

Looking for stocks to buy? These three all have attractive long-term prospects and are currently trading 20% or more below…

Read more »

Smart young brown businesswoman working from home on a laptop
Investing Articles

Could BP’s share price rebound over the next 12 months? These analysts think the answer is ‘yes’!

BPs share price has plummeted over the last year. But City brokers think things are about to turn around, as…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Is this an unmissable opportunity to buy Nvidia stock?

Nvidia stock is down 33% from its peak, driven by tariffs and geopolitical pressures. Despite this, some investors may spy…

Read more »

Warren Buffett at a Berkshire Hathaway AGM
Investing Articles

Dividend investors! Here’s what Warren Buffett says builds wealth in the stock market

Reinvesting dividends at yields of 8% or higher looks like a good way of building wealth. But Warren Buffett has…

Read more »