• risks associated with mineral operations being subject to market forces beyond its control,
• risks associated with fluctuations in commodity prices,
• risks associated with permitting, licenses and approval processes,
• risks associated with governmental and environmental regulations,
• risks associated with future legislation regarding the mining industry and climate change,
• risks associated with potential environmental lawsuits,
• risks associated with its land reclamation requirements,
• risks associated with gold mining presenting potential health risks,
• risks associated with possible amendments to mining laws, mineral withdrawals of similar actions,
• risks associated with any material weaknesses that have been identified in our internal controls over financial reporting,
• risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,
• risks associated with cybersecurity and cyber-attacks,
• risks related to title in its properties,
• risks associated with geopolitical factors,
• risks associated with potential property title disputes,
• risks related to competition in the gold and silver mining industries,
• risks related to economic conditions,
• risks related to its ability to manage growth,
• risks related to the potential difficulty of attracting and retaining qualified personnel,
• risks related to its dependence on key personnel,
• risks related to its SEC filing history, and
• risks related to its securities.
This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. The Company qualifies all the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q by the foregoing cautionary statements.
This management's discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Company's financial statements and notes thereto as set forth herein. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by the Company, which attempt to advise interested parties of the factors which affect its business, including without limitation, the disclosures made under "Risk Factors" of its most recent Form 10-K.
The Company's unaudited financial statements are stated in United States dollars and are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.
Since the Company is an exploration stage company and has not generated revenues to date, its business is subject to numerous contingencies and risk factors beyond its control, including exploration and development risks, competition from well-funded competitors, and its ability to manage growth.
Overview
The Company's goal is to create stockholder value through the acquisition, responsible exploration, and future development of high caliber gold properties in the Homestake District of South Dakota (the "Homestake District"). Management and the technical teams cumulatively have several hundred years of international mining and exploration experience. Key personnel have more than fifty combined years of mining and exploration experience in the Homestake District, mostly with the Homestake Mining Company, as well as other exploration companies that have operated in the region. The Company believes this experience uniquely positions the Company and will allow it to leverage its direct experience and knowledge of past exploration and mining activities in the Homestake District. Combined with the use of modern exploration and mining techniques, and new geologic understanding from experience in other mines, new research and information extracted from its new geophysical surveys, the Company hopes to focus its programs and build upon dominance where the historic Homestake Mining Company left off in the 1990's.
The Homestake District has yielded approximately 44.6 million ounces of gold production with most of it coming from within a small area. The production ledges of the old mine define a cumulative surface projection area of much less than 3 square miles. Homestake Mining Company's historic gold production and exploration in the Homestake District was overwhelmingly focused on the underground mine. Outside of the mine area, the Homestake District has been underexplored and lacks the modern exploration efforts required to search for other deposits especially under the cover of younger rocks that dominate the surface.
Since 2012, the Company has consistently pursued a strategy of expanding its portfolio of brownfield properties located exclusively within the Homestake District to build a dominant land position with the goal of consolidating possible mineral potential. Property acquisitions are focused and based on past exploration, the access to proprietary data sets the Company has assembled over the years, and new research and remote data acquisition (Magnetics, Gravity and Radiometric) that was recently conducted over the district that hosts the Homestake Gold Deposit.
The Company has not established that any of its projects or properties contain proven or probable mineral reserves under S-K 1300 nor do they guarantee their exploration work will ever establish an economic gold deposit. The Company believes the Homestake District is in a safe, low-cost jurisdiction with well-developed infrastructure and is in a favorable regulatory environment in which authorities have consistently demonstrated a willingness to work with responsible operators to permit well-planned compliant projects.
Planned Activities
The Company's planned activities in fiscal 2023 will be focused on advancing exploration drilling on its Maitland, Richmond Hill, and City Creek projects. In addition, work is planned to continue exploration, permitting studies, and targeting activities on its Blind Gold and Tinton projects to bring them to a drilling stage.
The Company's technical group and consultants are continuously modeling and evaluating data acquired through its regional high-definition airborne magnetic survey, supplemented by ground gravity surveys completed in 2021, to enhance possible drill targets, as well as to screen targets on other brownfields areas of interest within the district. Field sampling and mapping programs have been initiated at the Richmond Hill, City Creek, and the Barrick Option property. The Company continues to locate, evaluate, and add to the historic information in its regional and project level data sets much of which is from the 145-year-old Homestake Mining Company files acquired in the Barrick Option agreement but also from other private and public sources.
Permitting and site preparations were completed for the first drilling program on the iron-formation target and other tertiary-age replacement targets in the Maitland area and drilling commenced in early 2022. There are now three drill rigs operating on the property - two at Maitland and one at Richmond Hill. Permit and environmental field work for the Blind Gold and Tinton project areas has also been initiated. Targets in some of the other brownfield areas may also be identified and advanced for drilling as exploration activities continue throughout the year.
Proposed Cash Exploration Expenditures for the Year Ending March 31, 2023 (millions) |
General & administrative | $ 4.7 |
Drilling, Field programs/Met Testing/Data Compilation | $ 15.5 |
Property Acquisition | $ 6.3 |
TOTAL | $26.5 |
The Company's projects are all at the exploration stage and do not generate revenues. The Company has not established that any of its properties or projects contain proven or probable mineral reserves as defined under S-K 1300. Expenditure projections are subject to numerous contingencies and risk factors beyond the Company's control, including exploration and development risks, competition from well-funded competitors, and the Company's ability to manage growth and assessments of ongoing exploration activities and results. The Company cannot offer assurance that its expenses will either meet or exceed its projections.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company is in the exploration-stage and does not generate revenues. As such, the Company finances its operations and the acquisition and exploration of its mineral properties through the issuance of common stock, and the Company could be materially adversely affected if it is unable to raise capital because of market or other factors.
As of September 30, 2022, the Company had working capital of $26,905,899 and its retained earnings as of September 30, 2022, was $681,220. The Company had net losses for the three and six months ended September 30, 2022, of $6,575,955 and $12,384,680, respectively.
During the six months ended September 30, 2022, the Company issued a total of 37,500 shares of common stock for proceeds of $12,000 pursuant to the exercise of stock options and 3,607 shares of common stock for proceeds of $7,503 pursuant to the exercise of warrants.
During the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, the Company plans cash expenditures for exploration of approximately $26.5 million and is managing spending within that budget. In the six months ended September 30, 2022, the Company has incurred cash expenditures of approximately $3.5 million on general and administrative expenses, $7.9 million on exploration expenses and approximately $0.9 million on property acquisitions.
The timing of expected expenditures is dependent upon a number of factors, including the availability of contractors. The Company has sufficient funds for funding its activities for the remainder of the current fiscal year.
Subsequent to September 30, 2022, the Company entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Canaccord Genuity LLC (collectively, the "Sales Agents"), to establish an at-the-market equity program (the "ATM Program"). Under the ATM Program, the Company may offer and sell shares of common stock having aggregate proceeds of up to $50,000,000, from time to time, through any of the Sales Agents. Following establishment of the ATM program, the Company has issued 1,000,000 shares from the ATM program at an average price of $3.10 for gross proceeds of $3.1 million.
Results of Operations
Three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021
The Company had no operating revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. We are not currently profitable. We had a net loss of $6,575,955 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 (three months ended September 30, 2021 - $5,003,080).
Exploration Costs
During the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, our exploration costs totaled $4,677,900 and $1,875,085, respectively. The increase quarter over quarter primarily related to the continuation of exploration drilling and related activities which commenced in January 2022. In addition, the Company funded the airborne geophysical survey and increased the review and compilation of historical geological data. Included in these costs were payments of annual claim maintenance fees related to our mineral properties and exploration-related stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended September 30, 2022 of $188,817 (three months ended September 30, 2021 - $184,252).
General and Administrative
Our general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 were $2,396,284 and $3,298,785, respectively. These expenditures were primarily for legal, accounting and professional fees, investor relations as well as other general and administrative expenses necessary for our operations. The decrease quarter over quarter was primarily due to a decrease in stock-based compensation allocated to administration expenses of $499,535 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 (three months ended September 30, 2021 - $2,617,448). The organization grew from twelve employees to over thirty, which resulted in increased general and administrative costs (excluding stock-based compensation) to $1,896,749 during the three months ended September 30, 2022 (three months ended September 30, 2021 - $623,076). The organization grew to support advancing the exploration activities, which include drilling activities in the current fiscal year.
Six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021
We had a net loss of $12,384,680 for the six months ended September 30, 2022 (six months ended September 30, 2021 - $17,845,804).
Exploration Costs
During the six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, our exploration costs totaled $8,449,417 and $4,058,726, respectively. The increase period over period primarily related to the continuation of exploration drilling and related activities which commenced in January 2022. In addition, the Company funded the airborne geophysical survey and increased the review and compilation of historical geological data. Included in these costs were payments of annual claim maintenance fees related to our mineral properties, as well exploration-related stock-based compensation expenses of $525,883 for the six months ended September 30, 2022 (six months ended September 30, 2021 - $1,768,110).
General and Administrative
Our general and administrative expenses for the six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 were $5,704,945 and $14,027,533, respectively. These expenditures were primarily for legal, accounting and professional fees, investor relations, as well as other general and administrative expenses necessary for our operations. The decrease period over period was primarily due to a decrease in stock-based compensation allocated to administration expenses of $2,084,986 for the six months ended September 30, 2022 (six months ended September 30, 2021 - $11,862,461). The organization has grown to over thirty employees, which resulted in increased general and administrative costs (excluding stock-based compensation) to $3,619,959 during the six months ended September 30, 2022 (six months ended September 30, 2021 - $2,106,811). The organization grew to support advancing the exploration activities, which include drilling activities in the current fiscal year.
We had losses from operations totaling $14,154,362 and $18,086,259, respectively, losses before income tax of $14,144,591 and $18,195,764, respectively, and deferred tax benefits of $1,759,911 and $349,960, respectively, leading to net losses for the six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 of $12,384,680 and $17,845,804, respectively.
The effective tax rate for the quarter is less than the statutory rate, due to a lower tax benefit for stock-based compensation related to Restricted Share Units which were issued during the period, when compared to what was recognized during the vesting period for those units, and a change in our valuation allowance related to our net operating losses.
Cash flows used in operating activities
During the six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company's cash flows used in operating activities were $12,335,132 and $4,442,778, respectively. Cash used in operations for the six months ended September 30, 2022 increased year over year as the Company increased the amount of land staking and associated annual claim maintenance costs. In addition, the company completed an airborne geophysical survey and engaged additional personnel to review and commence the compilation of historical geological data obtained through the Barrick option agreements. The Company also continued drilling and related activities which commenced in January 2022.
Cash flows used in investing activities
During the six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, cash used in investing activities was $1,016,990 and $3,548,196, respectively. In the six months ended September 30, 2022, the cash used for investing activities consisted of $854,316 for the acquisition of mineral properties and $162,674 for the purchases of property and equipment. In the six months ended September 30, 2021, the cash used for investing activities consisted of $3,285,316 for the acquisition of mineral properties and $262,880 for the purchases of property and equipment.
Cash flows from financing activities
During the six months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, cash flows from financing activities were $19,503 and $49,064,986, respectively. In the six months ended September 30, 2022, the Company issued 37,500 shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise of stock options for cash proceeds of $12,000 and 3,607 shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise of warrants for cash proceeds of $7,503. In the six months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued shares for net proceeds of $351,075, and DTRC issued shares for net proceeds of $49,515,626 and repaid $801,715 to extinguish a related party note.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company had off-balance sheet arrangements for payments in relation to annual mineral lease payments related to certain properties under option as disclosed in Note 3 of the financial statements.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on the Company's financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with US GAAP. Preparation of financial statements requires management to make assumptions, estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses, and the related disclosures of contingencies. Management bases its estimates on various assumptions and historical experience, which are believed to be reasonable; however, due to the inherent nature of estimates, actual results may differ significantly due to changed conditions or assumptions. On a regular basis, management reviews the accounting policies, assumptions, estimates and judgments to ensure that the Company's financial statements are fairly presented in accordance with US GAAP. However, because future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty, actual results could differ from the Company's assumptions and estimates, and such differences could be material. Management believes that the following critical accounting estimates and judgments have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements: valuation of options granted to directors and officers using the Black-Scholes model and fair value of mineral properties. The accounting policies are described in greater detail in Note 2 to the Company's audited annual financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. There have been no material changes to the Company's critical accounting policies and estimates as compared to the Company's critical accounting policies and estimates described in the Form 10-K.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
At the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, an evaluation was carried out under the supervision of and with the participation of the Company's management, including its chief executive officer ("CEO") and chief financial officer ("CFO"), of the effectiveness of the design and operations of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, the CEO and the CFO have concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were not effective in ensuring that: (i) information required to be disclosed by us in reports that it files or submits to the SEC under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in applicable rules and forms and (ii) material information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the CEO and CFO, as appropriate, to allow for accurate and timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes to Internal Controls and Procedures over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended September 30, 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting. As noted in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2022, management concluded that the Company did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2022, based on the criteria set forth in the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control -Integrated Framework. We are continuing to take steps to remediate the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
None.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
There have been no material changes from the risk factors as previously disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2022.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Except as set forth below, all unregistered sales of equity securities during the period covered by this Quarterly Report were previously disclosed in the Company's current reports on Form 8-K.
During the quarter ended September 30, 2022, the Company issued an aggregate of 180,000 shares of common stock in connection with an amendment to the option agreement for the Richmond Hill property. The Company relied on the exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Rule 506 of Regulation D for purposes of the issuance common stock.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
Not applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Pursuant to Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, issuers that are operators, or that have a subsidiary that is an operator, of a coal or other mine in the United States are required to disclose in their periodic reports filed with the SEC information regarding specified health and safety violations, orders and citations, related assessments and legal actions, and mining-related fatalities. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company's exploration properties were not subject to regulation by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
Item 5. Other Information
None.
Item 6. Exhibits.
The following exhibits are attached hereto or are incorporated by reference:
Exhibit Number | Description |
3.1 | Articles of Incorporation of Dakota Gold Corp. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 28, 2022). |
3.2 | Certificate of Change Pursuant to NRS 78.209 to the Articles of Incorporation of Dakota Gold Corp. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.2 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 28, 2022). |
3.3 | Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation of Dakota Gold Corp. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 5, 2022). |
3.4 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Dakota Gold Corp. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.2 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 5, 2022). |
10.1 | First Amendment to Option Agreement for Purchase and Sale of Real Property dated September 8, 2022 between Homestake Mining Company of California, LAC Minerals (USA) LLC, Dakota Gold Corp. and DTRC LLC. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 13, 2022). |
31.1 | Certification by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Exchange Act Rules, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. * |
31.2 | Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Exchange Act Rules, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. * |
32.1 | Certifications by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. ** |
32.2 | Certifications by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. ** |
101.INS | Inline XBRL Instance Document-the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File as its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. * |
101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. * |
101.CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. * |
101.DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. * |
101.LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. * |
101.PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. * |
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). * |
________________
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
DAKOTA GOLD CORP.
/s/ Jonathan Awde | |
By: Jonathan Awde | |
Chief Executive Officer, Principal Executive Officer and Director | |
Dated: November 8, 2022 | |
/s/ Shawn Campbell | |
By: Shawn Campbell | |
Chief Financial Officer | |
Dated: November 8, 2022 | |