8th Feb 2005 11:00
Randgold Resources Ld08 February 2005 Randgold Resources Limited Incorporated in Jersey, Channel Islands Reg. No. 62686 LSE Trading Symbol: RRS Nasdaq Trading Symbol: GOLD SHAREHOLDER AUDIT SHOWS REGISTER QUALITY AND SPREAD London, 8 February 2005 (LSE:RRS) (Nasdaq:GOLD) - A global shareholderidentification exercise conducted by the research group Ilios in December hashighlighted Randgold Resources' success in building a broad and diversifiedinvestor base. Key findings of the analysis, which covered 100% of the company'stotal shares in issue (as at 31 December 2004), include: * There are 121 institutional investors who account for 57.68% of the shares in issue. * The US retail ADR and brokerage market holds 30.37% of the shares. * Of the top 20 institutions, 12 are based in the US, five in the UK, two in Canada and one in Switzerland. * Overall US ownership (institutional and retail investors) amounts to 56.61%. * Merrill Lynch UK is now the company's single largest shareholder, with 6.89% of the issued shares. * Randgold & Exploration's holding has been reduced to 6.74%. * Toronto-based Mackenzie Financial is the top North American investor with 4.83%, followed by two New York-based institutions, Van Eck Associates (4.1%) and Tocqueville Asset Management (2.44%). * The investment style of the company's major shareholders is categorised as " value-orientated." Chief executive Dr Mark Bristow said the Ilios audit had provided the companywith an accurate and objective analysis of its share register. "It clearlyreflects the effort we have put into marketing Randgold Resources, and theresonance our message has found with highly discriminating investors," he said. BUILDING A SUPPORTIVE SHAREHOLDER BASE THROUGH EFFECTIVE INVESTOR RELATIONS In the course of 2004, Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow held morethan 200 investor meetings in 15 cities in eight countries on three continentsat the head of the intensive investor relations campaign that has been ahallmark of the company's management style since its inception 10 years ago. "In those early days, under the shadow of the Bre-X scandal and a collapsinggold price, we had to introduce Randgold Resources to a market that wasdistinctly unenthusiastic about gold in general and fledgling explorationcompanies in particular. But we persisted, with what one analyst described atthe time as missionary zeal," recalls Bristow. "Since then, we've made a point of communicating openly and regularly with themarket in the bad times as well as the good, through our results presentations,roadshows, facility visits, teleconferences and participation in industryconferences, as well as through comprehensive annual and quarterly reports." "We've always shared our strategies with the market, we've kept shareholdersfully informed about our plans and our performance, and when there have beenproblems or issues, we've addressed them proactively and candidly. In theprocess I think our management team has gained a reputation for credibilitywhich has been a great help in building a strong and supportive shareholderbase." Randgold Resources' communications programme also includes a substantial mediacomponent, and the company was recently named communicator of the year for 2004by the authoritative Mining Journal. RANDGOLD RESOURCES ENQUIRIES: Chief Executive - Dr Mark Bristow +44 779 775 2288 Financial Director - Roger Williams +44 791 709 8939 Investor & Media Relations - Kathy du Plessis +27 11 728 4701, Cell: +27 (0) 83 266 5847 [email protected] Website: www.randgoldresources.com DISCLAIMER: Statements made in this document with respect to Randgold Resources'current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that arenot historical facts are forwardlooking statements about the future performanceof Randgold Resources. These statements are based on management's assumptionsand beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. RandgoldResources cautions you that a number of important risks and uncertainties couldcause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in theforward-looking statements, and therefore you should not place undue reliance onthem. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, risksassociated with: fluctuations in the market price of gold, gold production atMorila, the development of Loulo and estimates of resources, reserves and minelife. For a discussion on such risk factors, refer to the annual report on Form20-F for the year ended 31 December 2003, which was filed with the United StatesSecurities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on 30 June 2004. RandgoldResources assumes no obligation to update information in this release.Cautionary Note to US Investors: The SEC permits companies, in their filingswith the SEC, to disclose only proven and probable ore reserves. We use certainterms in this release, such as "resources", that the SEC does not recognise andstrictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors arecautioned not to assume that all or any part of our resources will ever beconverted into reserves which qualify as 'proven and probable reserves' for thepurposes of the SEC's industry guide number 7. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
Randgold Resources