BHP Billiton Group continued to occupy the top ranking and was the only company with a valuation greater than US$100 billion. Mining giants Rio Tinto and Glencore PLC also retained their second and third positions from the previous month, while Vale SA and Southern Copper Corp. rounded out the top five.
Coal India's market cap fell from US$24.1 billion at the end of July to US$23.1 billion in August. The 4.1% drop was the largest among the top mining companies.
PJSC Norilsk Nickel Co., Saudi Arabian Mining Co., Teck Resources Ltd. and Antofagasta PLC all improved in the rankings by two positions in August.
Teck Resources saw the largest improvement in market cap, jumping 14.5% to US$14.3 billion and advancing to 21st place. The company reported profit attributable to shareholders of US$577 million (US$1.00/share) in the second quarter, compared with only US$15 million (US$0.03/ share) a year ago. The company announced on July 27 that it will pay an eligible dividend of US$0.05/share on its outstanding Class A common shares and Class B subordinate voting shares.
London-listed Antofagasta was the only new entry to the top 25, at No. 24. The company increased its interim dividend by 232% on a yearly basis to 10.3 U.S. cents apiece after posting a profit attributable to shareholders of US$290.5 million in the first half. For the first six months of the year, the company's copper production jumped 7.1% year on year to 346,300 tonnes, mainly due to higher production at Centinela Oxide and Antucoya. Copper sales likewise increased 8% YoY to 334,100 tonnes.
Canadian-listed fertilizer producers Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and Agrium Inc.experienced declines in their market caps to US$14.6 billion and US$13.5 billion respectively. Potash Corp. recorded the steepest drop in the rankings, slipping four places since end-July to 20th place.
In contrast, Franco-Nevada Corp. and Newcrest Mining Ltd. strengthened their positions, and ended August in 18th and 22nd places respectively.
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