Southern Copper Shareholders Approach Key Dividend Date

Investors in Southern Copper Corporation are preparing for a significant date on the corporate calendar. The company has set tomorrow, Tuesday, February 10, as the record date for its latest shareholder distribution. This payout follows a 2025 fiscal year in which the mining group surpassed market projections for both revenue and profit.

The foundation for this capital return is a robust final quarter. Southern Copper reported Q4 revenue of $3.87 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. Its adjusted EBITDA saw a substantial 53% year-over-year increase, reaching $2.3 billion. This performance contributed to a record full-year 2025 revenue of $13.4 billion, marking a 17% rise from the prior year.

For the first quarter of 2026, the company has established a dual-component dividend:
* Cash Dividend: $1.00 per share.
* Stock Dividend: 0.0085 shares per share held.

The payment will be made on February 27 to all shareholders of record as of the market close on February 10.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Southern Copper?

Operational Outlook and Strategic Investments

Despite the positive financial results, management anticipates a modest production decrease for the 2026 operational year. The forecast calls for approximately 911,400 tons of copper, representing a 4.7% decline compared to 2025. Company leadership attributes this primarily to lower ore grades at its Peruvian mining sites.

The critical question is whether planned capital expenditures can counter this trend in the long run. Southern Copper is currently channeling $46 million into modernizing its Ilo complex in Peru. This initiative aims to boost operational efficiency by upgrading a substation over six decades old and expanding storage capacity for copper anodes and cathodes.

Concurrently, the firm is advancing its Tia Maria project, viewed as a central component for achieving its targeted revenue growth this year. The long-term trajectory for the miner will largely depend on the success of these infrastructure upgrades and major Peruvian ventures in offsetting the challenges posed by diminishing ore quality.