Kinross Gold Corporation KGC is leveraging its strong balance sheet and healthy free cash flow to boost shareholder returns through dividends and buybacks. It reactivated its share buyback program in April 2025 and completed a $600-million share repurchase program as of Dec. 31, 2025. KGC returned $752.4 million to its shareholders through dividends and buybacks in 2025.
KGC remains committed to returning significant capital to its shareholders going forward. KGC’s board has approved a 14% increase to its quarterly dividend, amounting to 16 cents per share on an annualized basis. Kinross is targeting to return 40% of its free cash flow through share buybacks and dividends in 2026.
The company, last month, said that the Toronto Stock Exchange has accepted the notice to renew its normal course issuer bid program, reinforcing its commitment to enhancing shareholder returns. Under the program, Kinross is authorized to repurchase up to 104,239,211 common shares, approximately 10% of its public float, from March 24, 2026, to March 23, 2027. Under its previous program, Kinross repurchased 35,756,550 shares.
KGC has a strong liquidity position and generates substantial cash flows, which allows it to finance its development projects, pay down debt and drive shareholder value. Tasiast and Paracatu, the company’s two biggest assets, remain the key contributors to cash flow generation and production. KGC generated a record free cash flow of roughly $2.5 billion last year, driven by the strength in gold prices and strong operating performance. As gold prices remain elevated, the company is poised to maintain its shareholder-focused momentum.
Among its peers, Barrick Mining Corporation B returned $2.4 billion to its shareholders in 2025 through dividends and buybacks. It repurchased shares worth $1.5 billion during 2025, including $500 million in the fourth quarter. Barrick increased its dividend to 42 cents per share for the fourth quarter of 2025, marking a 140% increase over the third quarter. Barrick also announced a new dividend policy that targets a total payout of 50% of attributable free cash flow on an annualized basis.
Newmont Corporation NEM distributed $3.4 billion to its shareholders through dividends and share repurchases in 2025. Newmont announced an increased dividend of 26 cents per share for the fourth quarter of 2025. NEM executed $3.6 billion from $6 billion of buyback authorization as of Feb. 19, 2026.
The Zacks Rundown for KGC
Kinross Gold’s shares have shot up 128.8% over a year against the Zacks Mining – Gold industry’s rise of 81.3%, largely driven by the gold price rally.
From a valuation standpoint, KGC is currently trading at a forward 12-month earnings multiple of 12.25, a modest 0.3% discount to the industry average of 12.29X. It carries a Value Score of B.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s 2026 and 2027 earnings implies a year-over-year rise of 50% and 0.7%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have been trending higher over the past 60 days.
KGC stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).