What changed in this filing

/stocks — the workspaceLOADING

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis

2024-05-02 compared with 2023-11-08 · 93 added, 142 removed, 98 unchanged (71% of the section changed)

11 unchanged sentences

however, we have conducted property evaluations for potential acquisition in other parts of the world.

At September 30, 2023, we consider our Golden Crest Project in South Dakota, our carried interest in the Florida Canyon Project in Peru, and our interest in the Lik project in Alaska to be our core mineral property assets.

At March 31, 2024, we consider our Golden Crest Project in South Dakota, our carried interest in the Florida Canyon Project in Peru, and our interest in the Lik Project in Alaska to be our core mineral property assets.

We are conducting exploration activities in the United States on our own at the Golden Crest Project and through joint ventures operated by our partners in Peru at the Florida Canyon Project and in Alaska at the Lik Project.

3 unchanged sentences

Although we anticipate that the use of joint ventures to fund some of our exploration activities will continue for the foreseeable future, we can provide no assurance that these or other sources of capital will be available in sufficient amounts to meet our needs, if at all.

As of September 30, 2023, we have balances of cash and short-term investments that we anticipate using, in part, to (i) fund costs and activities intended to further the exploration of our Lik, Florida Canyon and Golden Crest projects, (ii) conduct reconnaissance exploration and (iii) potentially acquire additional mineral property assets.

As of March 31, 2024, we have balances of cash and short-term investments that we anticipate using, in part, to (i) fund costs and activities intended to further the exploration of our Lik, Florida Canyon and Golden Crest projects, (ii) conduct reconnaissance exploration and (iii) potentially acquire additional mineral property assets.

The fluctuations in precious metal and other commodity prices contribute to a challenging environment for mineral exploration and development, which has created opportunities as well as challenges for the potential acquisition of advanced mineral exploration projects or other related assets at potentially attractive terms.

2 unchanged sentences

(b) Results of Operations

Comparison of the three months ended September 30, 2023 to the three months ended September 30, 2022

We had a net loss of $1,292,000 or $0.02 per basic and diluted share for the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a net loss of $1,057,000 or $0.02 per basic and diluted share for the three months ended September 30, 2022.

As explained in more detail below, the primary reasons for the increase in our net loss in the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the net loss during the three months ended September 30, 2022 were (i) an increase in exploration expense to $918,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to exploration expense of $655,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

(ii) an increase in the unrealized loss on marketable equity securities to $141,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized gain on marketable equity securities of $13,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

and (iii) recording of other income of $20,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022, with no similar item during the three months ended September 30, 2023.

Partially offsetting these items which increased the loss during the 2023 period, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 were (i) a reduction in general and administrative costs to $282,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to general and administrative costs of $435,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

(ii) an increase in interest and dividend income to $35,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to interest and dividend income of $29,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

(iii) the recording of a gain on derivative instruments of $7,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 with no similar item during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

and (iv) an unrealized gain on short-term investments of $14,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a loss of $22,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

Comparison of the quarter ended March 31, 2024 to the quarter ended March 31, 2023.

We had a net loss of $730,000 or $0.01 per basic and diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to a net loss of $380,000 or $0.01 per basic and diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

As explained in more detail below, the primary reasons for the increase in the net loss in the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to the loss in the three months ended March 31, 2023 were (i) a reduction in unrealized gain on marketable equity securities to $8,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to an unrealized gain on marketable equity securities of $329,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023;

(ii) an increase in exploration expense to $354,000 during the three months ended March 31 2024 compared to exploration expense of $275,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023;

and (iii) no unrealized gain on short-term investments during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to a gain on short-term investments of $21,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Partially offsetting this increase in the net loss were (i) a decrease in general and administrative expense to $472,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to general and administrative expense of $476,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023;

and (ii) an increase in interest and dividend income to $95,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to interest and dividend income of $27,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Each of the major components of these items is discussed in more detail below.

Our net exploration expense increased to $918,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to exploration expense of $655,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022 primarily as a result of the expensing of claim fees of $292,000 at our Golden Crest project during the three months ended September 30, 2023, compared to $40,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022, when Solitario was staking and filing initial claim fees at Golden Crest, which are capitalized during the first year of claim payments.

Solitario expenses lease and claim costs for all years, after the initial claim or lease payments are made.

See Note 2, “Mineral Properties,” to the unaudited financial statements above.

In addition, we conducted an increased surface exploration and analysis program at our Golden Crest project which represented approximately $439,000 of exploration expense during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to exploration expenditures of $354,000 at Golden Crest during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

Partially offsetting these increases in exploration expenditures during the three months ended September 30, 2023 were (i) a later start of work at the Lik Project by our joint venture partner, Teck, as Lik exploration was $139,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $221,000 of exploration expenditures at Lik during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

and (ii) a reduction in reconnaissance exploration during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $48,000 compared to reconnaissance exploration of $80,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, we had three contract geologists working at our Golden Crest project, as well as several part-time employees who assisted our contract geologists in collecting, organizing and testing soil and rock samples at Golden Crest.

In addition, certain of our Denver-based personnel spent a portion of their time on Golden Crest and reconnaissance exploration activities described above and related matters.

We have budgeted approximately $2,000,000 for the full-year exploration expenditure for 2023, which includes approximately $1,426,000 at the Golden Crest project and $574,000 for Solitario’s share of a joint drilling program with Teck at the Lik project.

We expect our full-year exploration expenditures for 2023 to be above the exploration expenditures for full-year 2022.

Exploration expense (in thousands) by project consisted of the following:

Three months ended

September 30,

Nine months ended

September 30,

Our exploration expense increased to $354,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to exploration expense of $275,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The increase was primarily a result of an increase in expenses at our Golden Crest Project to $335,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to exploration expense of $241,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

These costs were partially offset by a reduction in our reconnaissance exploration expenses to $11,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to reconnaissance exploration expenses of $29,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

We also incurred exploration expenses of $8,000 and $5,000, respectively, at our Lik Project in Alaska during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.

Our exploration expenditures are normally lower during the first quarter of our fiscal year as a result of weather limitations.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024 we had three contract geologists at our Golden Crest Project along with several part-time employees.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, our Denver personnel spent a significant portion of their time on Golden Crest and various reconnaissance exploration activities described above and related matters.

Our full-year 2024 total exploration and development budget is approximately $3,900,000, which reflects a potential drilling program at Golden Crest during 2024 budgeted at $1,700,000 as well as a proposed limited exploration program at Lik.

Nexa is responsible for all planned 2024 exploration expenditures at Florida Canyon.

The proposed 2024 budget does not reflect any exploration costs for new projects or assets we may acquire during 2024.

Our planned exploration activities in 2024 may be modified, as necessary for any drilling programs we may undertake at Golden Crest, Lik or other projects we may acquire.

Changes may occur to our planned 2024 exploration expenditures related to any number of factors including permitting delays, potential acquisition of new properties, joint venture funding, commodity prices and changes in the deployment of our capital.

We expect our full-year exploration expenditures for 2024 to be higher than the exploration expenditures for full-year 2023.

Exploration expense (in thousands) by project for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 consisted of the following:

Reconnaissance

Total exploration expense

General and administrative costs, excluding stock option compensation costs, discussed below, were $224,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $190,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

The major components of our general and administrative costs were (i) salaries and benefit expense of $108,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to salary and benefit costs of $88,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

(ii) legal and accounting expenditures of $47,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $50,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2022;

(iii) office rent and expenses of $35,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023, compared to $29,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022;

and (iv) travel and shareholder relation costs of $34,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $23,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

We anticipate the full-year general and administrative costs will be comparable for 2023 and 2022.

We recorded $58,000 of stock option compensation expense for the amortization of unvested grant date fair value with a credit to additional paid-in-capital during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $245,000 of stock option compensation expense during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

These non-cash charges related to the expense for vesting on stock options outstanding during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

The primary reason for the increase in stock option compensation expense during the three months ended September 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 was as a result of the grant of 2,360,000 options in the third quarter of 2022, which included the expensing of the initial vesting of 25% of the grant date fair value of the option grant of $876,000 or $218,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022, with no similar grant of options during the three months ended September 30, 2023.

General and administrative costs, excluding stock option compensation costs, discussed below, were $413,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to $409,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The major components of these costs were related to (i) salaries and benefit expense of $131,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to salary and benefit costs of $158,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023, primarily due to timing of the year-end bonus between 2022 and 2023 of $60,000 charged in 2023, which was partially offset by an increase in salary amounts during 2024 compared to 2023;

(ii) legal and professional expenditures of $71,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to legal and professional expenditures of $81,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023;

(iii) office rent and expenses of $25,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to $31,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023;

and (iv) travel and shareholder relation costs of $186,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to $139,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

We anticipate the full-year general and administrative costs will be higher for 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to increased activity at both our Golden Crest and Lik Projects.

We recorded $59,000 of stock option expense for the amortization of unvested grant date fair value with a credit to additional paid-in-capital during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to $67,000 of stock option compensation expense during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The higher costs during the three months ended March 31, 2023 related to the grant date fair value of 2,360,000 option grants made during 2022 which are being amortized over three years.

There were no significant option grants during the 2024 or 2023 periods, and accordingly, the stock option expense in the three months ended March 31, 2024 was reduced compared to the stock option expense in three months ended March 31, 2023.

These non-cash charges for the amortization of grant date fair values are related to vesting of stock options outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.

See Note 9, “Employee Stock Compensation Plans,” above, for additional information on our stock option expense.

We recorded a non-cash unrealized loss on marketable equity securities of $141,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized gain on marketable equity securities of $13,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

The non-cash unrealized loss during the three months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily related to (i) a decrease in the value of our 7,750,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, which decreased to a fair value of $172,000 at September 30, 2023 from a fair value of $234,000 at June 30, 2023 or a decrease of $62,000 based on quoted market prices;

(ii) a decrease in the value of our 134,055 shares of Vox Royalty Corp.

(“Vox”) common stock to $271,000 at September 30, 2023 compared to a value of $324,000 at June 30, 2023 or a decrease of $54,000 based on quoted market prices and (iii) a decrease in the value of our holdings of 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock to $456,000 at September 30, 2023 compared to a value of $477,000 at June 30, 2023 or a decrease of $21,000 based on quoted market prices.

The non-cash unrealized gain during the three months ended September 30, 2022 was primarily related to (i) an increase in the value of our holdings of 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock, which increased to a fair value of $376,000 at September 30, 2022 from a fair value of $358,000 at June 30, 2022 or an increase of $18,000 based on quoted market prices;

and (ii) an increase in the value of our 8,000,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, which increased to a fair value of $291,000 at September 30, 2022 from a fair value of $279,000 at June 30, 2022 or an increase of $12,000, based on quoted market prices.

The changes in the prices of our marketable equity securities are based on quoted market prices over which we have no control.

See Liquidity and Capital Resources below for a discussion of our marketable equity securities.

We recorded interest and dividend income of $35,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to interest income of $29,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

This increase was primarily due to an increase in interest income on our short-term investments, including our invested balance in a money market account at a brokerage firm.

This increase was primarily the result of the completion of the $2,500,000 Newmont private placement discussed above in Note 11, “Shareholders’ Equity.” In addition, the average interest rate on our short-term investments was higher during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2022.

We anticipate our interest and dividend income will be higher for the full year of 2023 compared to 2022 as a result of the private placement to Newmont, the $4,747,500 private placement completed subsequent to September 30, 2023 and the higher interest rates currently being paid on short-term investments during 2023 compared to 2022.

We expect to utilize a portion of our short-term investments including proceeds from maturing USTS to fund our exploration and general and administrative expenditures.

We recorded a non-cash unrealized gain on our short-term investments of $14,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized loss on our short-term investments of $22,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2022 primarily due to the maturing of our USTS, which are marked-to-market and prior reductions in the quoted fair value of our existing USTS that were purchased at lower yield to maturities than current market values were reversed as the USTS matured and approached face value.

These changes in interest rates are a result of many factors that are not related to our business and do not affect the yield-to-maturity quoted for our investments in USTS or CDs at the time we acquire these short-term investments, to the extent we hold the investments to maturity.

During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we recorded a non-cash gain on derivative instruments of $7,000 related to certain Kinross calls we sold during 2023, with no comparable amount during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

See Note 6, “Derivative Instruments,” above for a discussion of our Kinross calls.

We recorded an unrealized gain on marketable equity securities of $8,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to an unrealized gain on marketable equity securities of $329,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The gain during the three months ended March 31, 2024 was primarily related to an increase in the value of our holdings of marketable equity securities discussed above in Note 3 “Marketable Equity Securities” to the condensed consolidated financial statements, of (i) 100,000 shares of Kinross Gold Corp.

(“Kinross”)common stock, which increased from a fair value of $605,000 at December 31, 2023 to a fair value of $613,000 at March 31, 2024;

(ii) 134,055 shares of Vox common stock, which increased from a fair value of $276,000 at December 31, 2023 to a fair value of $280,000 at March 31, 2024;

(iii) 7,750,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, which decreased from a fair value of $118,000 at December 31, 2023 to a fair value of $115,000 at March 31, 2024;

and (iv) a decrease in the fair value of our holdings of Highlander Silver Corp.

from $33,000 at December 31, 2023 to $32,000 at March 31, 2024.

The gain during the three months ended March 31, 2023 was primarily related to an increase in the value of our holdings of marketable equity securities discussed above in Note 3 “Marketable Equity Securities” to the condensed consolidated financial statements, of (i) 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock, which increased from a fair value of $409,000 at December 31, 2022 to a fair value of $471,000 at March 31, 2023;

(ii) 134,055 shares of Vox common stock, which increased from a fair value of $311,000 at December 31, 2022 to a fair value of $412,000 at March 31, 2023;

(iii) 7,750,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, which increased from a fair value of $229,000 at December 31, 2022 to a fair value of $373,000 at March 31, 2023;

and (iv) a gain in the fair value of our holdings of Highlander Silver Corp.

to $22,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023, which was recorded at a zero fair value at December 31, 2022.

We recorded interest and dividend income of $95,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to interest income of $27,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The increase in interest income is related to an increase in the balances of our short-term investments as a result of the cash invested from two private placements during 2023 of $7.1 million as well as an increase in interest rates in the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023.

We anticipate our interest income will be higher during 2024 compared to 2023.

However, we anticipate we will use our short-term investments and our cash balances during the remainder of 2024 for ordinary overhead, operational costs, and the exploration, evaluation and or acquisition of mineral properties discussed above.

See “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below for further discussion of our cash and cash equivalent balances.

We recorded a non-cash unrealized gain on our short-term investments of $21,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023, with no similar gain or loss during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

This unrealized gain is related to the changes in the fair value of USTS as interest rates change.

We had no outstanding USTS during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

We regularly perform evaluations of our mineral property assets to assess the recoverability of our investments in these assets.

All long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances change which indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable utilizing guidelines based upon future net cash flows from the asset as well as our estimates of the geological potential of an early-stage mineral property and its related value for future sale, joint venture or development by us or others.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, we recorded no property impairments.

We recorded no income tax expense or benefit during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 or 2022 as we provide a valuation allowance for the tax benefit arising out of our net operating losses for all periods presented.

As a result of our administrative expenses and exploration activities, we anticipate we will not have currently payable income taxes during 2023.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, we recorded no property impairments.

At March 31, 2024 and 2023, our net operating loss carry-forwards exceed our built-in gains on marketable equity securities resulting in a net tax asset position for which we provide a valuation allowance for all net deferred tax assets.

We recorded no income tax expense or benefit during the three months ended March 31, 2024 or 2023.

As a result of our exploration activities, we anticipate we will not have currently payable income taxes during 2024.

In addition to the valuation allowance discussed above, we provide a valuation allowance for our foreign net operating losses, which are primarily related to our exploration activities in Peru.

We anticipate we will continue to provide a valuation allowance for these net operating losses until we are in a net tax liability position with regards to those countries where we operate or until it is more likely than not that we will be able to realize those net operating losses in the future.

Comparison of the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to the nine months ended September 30, 2022

We had a net loss of $2,712,000 or $0.04 per basic and diluted share for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a net loss of $3,262,000 or $0.05 per basic and diluted share for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

As explained in more detail below, the primary reasons for the decrease in our net loss were (i) a decrease in exploration expense to $1,748,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to exploration expense of $1,832,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

(ii) a decrease in general and administrative expenses to $1,073,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to general and administrative expenses of $1,099,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

(iii) a gain on derivative instruments of $30,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a loss on derivative instruments of $4,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

(iv) a realized loss of $159,000 on the sale of marketable equity securities during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, with no comparable sales of marketable equity securities during the nine months ended September 30, 2023;

(v) an unrealized gain on short-term investments of $49,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized loss on short-term investments of $120,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

and (vi) an unrealized loss of $39,000 on marketable equity securities during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized loss on marketable equity securities of $142,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Partially offsetting these reductions in the loss for the nine month period ended September 30, 2023 compared to the nine month period ended September 30, 2022 were (i) a decrease in interest and dividend income to $88,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to interest income of $97,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

and (ii) other income of $20,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 with no similar amount during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

The significant changes for these items are discussed in more detail below.

Our net exploration expense decreased to $1,748,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $1,832,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The primary reasons for the decrease were that the exploration expenditures at our Lik project in Alaska were $172,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to exploration expenditures of $669,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, where our joint venture partner, Teck, completed a portion of a planned $1.3 million (total) exploration program for 2022, including drilling, of which we are responsible for one-half of the total costs incurred, while the drilling program for 2023 was delayed until the fourth quarter of 2023;

and (ii) our reconnaissance exploration expenditures dropped to $118,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $254,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Partially offsetting this decrease in exploration expenditures during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was an increase in our expenditures at the Golden Crest project to $1,458,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to Golden Crest exploration expenditures of $909,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, as a result of an increase in claim filing expenditures and additional permitting work and soil and rock sampling during 2023 compared to 2022.

General and administrative costs, excluding stock option compensation costs discussed below, were $889,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $828,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The major components of the costs were (i) salary and benefit expense during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 of $371,000 compared to salary and benefit expense of $307,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, with these increases as a result of increased personnel and salaries in 2023;

(ii) legal and accounting expenditures of $193,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, compared to $247,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

(iii) office and other costs of $108,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $84,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

and (iv) travel and shareholder relation costs of $217,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $190,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, Solitario recorded $184,000 and $271,000, respectively, of stock option expense for the amortization of unvested grant date fair value with a credit to additional paid-in capital.

The decrease during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily related to the addition of 2,360,000 options granted during the third quarter of 2022 with a grant date fair value of $876,000, which increased the amortization of unvested options grant date fair value during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, related to the 25% of grant date fair value was expensed in the three months ended September 30, 2022, with no similar grant of options during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

We recorded an unrealized loss on marketable equity securities of $39,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized loss on marketable equity securities of $142,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The non-cash unrealized gain during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily related to (i) a decrease in the fair value of our holdings of 7,750,000 shares of Vendetta common stock to $172,000 at September 30, 2022 compared to a fair value of $229,000 at December 31, 2022, based on quoted market prices;

and (ii) a decrease in the fair value of our holdings of 134,055 shares of Vox to $271,000 at September 30, 2022 compared to a fair value of $311,000 at December 31, 2022 based on quoted market prices.

Partially offsetting these decreases in value during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was an increase in the fair value of our holdings of 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock at September 30, 2023 to $456,000 compared to a fair value of $409,000 at December 31, 2022, based on quoted market prices.

The non-cash unrealized loss during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was primarily related to (i) a decrease in the fair value of our holdings of 8,000,000 shares of Vendetta common stock to $291,000 at September 30, 2022 compared to a fair value of $303,000 at December 31, 2021, based on quoted market prices;

(ii) a decrease in the fair value of our holdings of 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock to $376,000 at September 30, 2022 compared to a fair value of $581,000 at December 31, 2021, based on quoted market prices;

and (iii) a decrease in the fair value of our holdings of 134,055 shares of Vox common stock to $285,000 at September 30, 2022 compared to a fair value of $370,000 at December 31, 2021 based on quoted market prices, which were partially offset by the recognition of $159,000 of previously recorded unrecognized loss on marketable equity securities upon the sale of 1,000,000 shares of Vendetta common stock during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

We may reduce our holdings of marketable equity securities depending on cash needs and market conditions, which may reduce the volatility of the changes in unrealized gains and losses in marketable equity securities during the remainder of 2023.

We recorded interest and dividend income of $88,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to interest and dividend income of $97,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The reduction in interest income was primarily related to a reduction in our average outstanding balance of short-term investment during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2022, which was partially offset by an increase in the average interest rate and income earned on our short-term investments during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the average interest rate during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

We anticipate our interest income will increase in 2023 compared to 2022 as a result of the sale of common stock in private placements in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, as discussed in Note 11, “Shareholders’ Equity,” above.

We anticipate we will use a portion of our short-term investments and our cash balances for ordinary overhead, operational costs, and the exploration, evaluation and or acquisition of mineral properties discussed above.

See “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below for further discussion of our cash and cash equivalent balances.

We recorded a non-cash unrealized gain on our short-term investments of $49,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to an unrealized loss on our short-term investments of $120,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The unrealized gain during 2023 was primarily due to certain of our USTS increasing in value as they approached maturity.

Our USTS are recorded at fair values which may be above or below the face value of the USTS depending on the current interest rates that may be below or above the stated interest rate on a USTS.

These non-cash changes in the mark-to-market amount for these securities does not affect the yield-to-maturity rates of our USTS at the time the USTS were acquired to the extent the USTS are held to maturity.

We did not sell any marketable equity securities during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we sold 1,000,000 shares of our holdings of Vendetta common stock for proceeds of $53,000 and recorded a loss on sale of marketable equity securities of $159,000.

See Note 3, “Marketable Equity Securities” to the condensed consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the sale of marketable equity securities.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we recorded a non-cash gain on derivative instruments of $30,000 related to certain Kinross calls we sold during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we recorded a non-cash loss of $4,000 on certain warrants related to our holdings of Vendetta common stock.

We anticipate we will continue to provide a valuation allowance for these net operating losses until we are in a net tax liability position with regard to those countries where we operate or until it is more likely than not that we will be able to realize those net operating losses in the future.

Cash and Short-term Investments

As of September 30, 2023, we have $4,132,000 in cash and short-term investments.

As of September 30, 2023, we have $1,391,000 of our current assets in USTS with maturities of 30 days to 5 months.

In addition, we have $2,573,000 invested in a money market account with a brokerage firm.

The USTS are recorded at their fair value based upon quoted market prices.

As of March 31, 2024, we have $7,659,000 in cash and short-term investments.

Our short-term investment is comprised of $7,518,000 invested in a money market account with a brokerage firm.

We anticipate we will roll over that portion of our short-term investments not used for exploration expenditures, operating costs or mineral property acquisitions as they become due during the remainder of 2024.

2 unchanged sentences

Our marketable equity securities are carried at fair value, which is based upon market quotes of the underlying securities.

At September 30, 2023, we own 7,750,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock, 134,055 shares of Vox common stock and 200,000 shares of Highlander Silver Corp.

At March 31, 2024, we own 7,750,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, 100,000 shares of Kinross common stock, 134,055 shares of Vox common stock and 200,000 shares of Highlander Silver Corp.

common stock.

At September 30, 2023, the Vendetta shares are recorded at their fair value of $172,000, the Kinross shares are recorded at their fair value of $456,000;

At March 31, 2024, the Vendetta shares are recorded at their fair value of $115,000, the Kinross shares are recorded at their fair value of $613,000;

the Vox shares are recorded at their fair value of $280,000 and the Highlander Silver Corp.

shares are recorded at their fair value of $32,000.

We did not sell any of our marketable equity securities during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022 we sold 1,000,000 shares of Vendetta common stock, as discussed above.

See Note 3, “Marketable Equity Securities” in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

We did not sell any of our marketable equity securities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 or 2023.

We anticipate we may sell some portion of our holdings of marketable equity securities during the remainder of 2024 depending on cash needs and market conditions.

Working Capital

We had working capital of $4,952,000 at September 30, 2023 compared to working capital of $4,991,000 as of December 31, 2022.

Our working capital at September 30, 2023 consists primarily of our cash and cash equivalents, our investment in short-term investments, discussed above, our investment in marketable equity securities of $910,000, and other current assets of $237,000, less our accounts payable of $295,000 and other current liabilities of $32,000.

As of September 30, 2023, our cash balances along with our short-term investments and marketable equity securities are adequate to fund our expected expenditures over the next year.

We had working capital of $8,657,000 at March 31, 2024 compared to working capital of $9,309,000 as of December 31, 2023.

Our working capital at March 31, 2024 consists primarily of our cash and cash equivalents, our investment in short-term investments, discussed above, our investment in marketable equity securities of $1,040,000, and other current assets of $205,000, less our accounts payable of $207,000 and other current liabilities of $40,000.

As of March 31, 2024, our cash balances along with our short-term investments and marketable equity securities are adequate to fund our expected expenditures over the next year.

The nature of the mineral exploration business requires significant sources of capital to fund exploration, development and operation of mining projects.

2 unchanged sentences

Stock-Based Compensation Plans

As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were options outstanding from the 2013 Plan to acquire 5,195,000 and 5,390,000 shares, respectively, of Solitario common stock.

As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were options outstanding from the 2013 Plan to acquire 3,728,500 and 3,778,500 shares, respectively, of Solitario common stock.

The outstanding options have exercise prices between $0.60 per share and $0.20 per share.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, options for 195,000 shares were exercised with exercise prices between $0.28 and $0.31 per share for proceeds of $59,000.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, options for 81,750 shares were exercised with an average exercise price of $0.25 per share for proceeds of $20,000.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, options for 50,000 shares were exercised with an exercise price of $0.28 per share for proceeds of $14,000.

No options were exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

We do not anticipate the exercise of options to be a significant source of cash flow during the remainder of 2024.

At the Market Offering Agreement

On February 2, 2021, we entered into the ATM Agreement with Wainwright, under which we may, from time to time, issue and sell shares of our common stock through Wainwright as sales manager in an at-the-market offering under a prospectus supplement for aggregate sales proceeds of up to $9.0 million.

There were no sales of shares of common stock under the ATM program during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we sold an aggregate of 2,650,724 shares of common stock under the ATM Program at an average price of $0.76 per share of common stock for net proceeds after commissions and expenses of approximately $2,023,000.

Solitario may sell additional shares under the ATM program during the remainder of 2023 if market conditions warrant such sales.

On December 19, 2023, we entered into an amendment to our ATM Agreement that was originally entered into in 2021 with Wainwright, under which we may, from time to time, issue and sell shares of our common stock through Wainwright as sales manager in an at-the-market offering under a prospectus supplement for aggregate sales proceeds of up to $10.0 million.

The common stock is distributed at the market prices prevailing at the time of sale.

As a result, prices of the common stock sold under the ATM Program may vary as between purchasers and during the period of distribution.

The ATM Agreement provides that Wainwright is entitled to compensation for its services at a commission rate of 3.0% of the gross sales price per share of common stock sold.

We did not sell any shares under the ATM program during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.

Subsequent to March 31, 2024, we sold 1,651,309 shares of our common stock under the ATM program for net proceeds of $1,085,000.

(d) Cash Flows

Net cash used in operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 increased to $2,684,000 compared to $1,948,000 of net cash used in operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 primarily as a result of (i) the pre-payment of $350,000 during the second quarter of 2023 to our joint venture partner Teck for an advance on the planned 2023 exploration program at the Lik project in Alaska, of which $193,000 remained in pre-paid expense at September 30, 2023 and is included in the changes in prepaid expenses and other current assets as a use of cash;

(ii) an increase in non-stock option general and administrative expense to $889,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $828,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, discussed above;

(iii) a reduction in the provision of cash from changes in other prepaid expenses and other current assets to a use of cash of $199,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a provision of cash from changes in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $266,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022;

and (iv) the provision of cash of $34,000 from an increase in accounts payable and other current liabilities during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the provision of cash of $299,000 from an increased in accounts payable and other current liabilities during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as a result of increased exploration activity at our Golden Crest project during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

These uses of cash were partially offset by (i) a decrease in exploration expense to $1,748,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to exploration expense of $1,832,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023;

and (ii) a reduction in interest and dividend income to $88,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to interest and dividend income of $97,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Net cash used in operations during the three months ended March 31, 2024 increased to $991,000 compared to $685,000 of net cash used in operations for the three months ended March 31, 2023 primarily as a result of (i) increase in exploration expense during the three months ended March 31, 2024 to $354,000 compared to $275,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023;

and (ii) a decrease in current liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 of $396,000 compared to a decrease in current liabilities of $50,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

There were additional accruals at the end of December 2023, including the 2023 bonus, and certain Golden Crest exploration expense accruals which were paid in the three months ended March 31, 2024, which accounted for the large use of funds in 2024 compared to 2023.

Partially offsetting this use of cash was an increase in the cash received for interest during the 2024 period to $95,000 compared to cash received for interest and dividends from interest income of $27,000 during the comparable 2023 period.

Based upon projected expenditures in our 2024 budget, we anticipate continued use of funds from operations through the remainder of 2024, primarily for exploration related to our Golden Crest and Lik Projects and reconnaissance exploration.

See “Results of Operations” discussed above for further explanation of some of these variances.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we provided $36,000 of cash from the net sale of short-term investments compared to the provision of $69,000 in cash during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 from the net sales of short-term investments.

The change during 2023 was primarily due to the offsetting effects of our cash exploration and general and administrative expenditures and the provision of cash from the sale of securities in the private placement to Newmont, discussed above in Note 11, “Shareholders’ Equity.” During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we acquired equipment and other assets used in our exploration activities of $12,000 compared to $49,000 of equipment acquired during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

We received cash proceeds of $31,000 from the sale of Kinross calls during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 with no similar sales during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we sold certain marketable equity securities for proceeds of $53,000, with no similar sales during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

We also used $386,000 of our cash to acquire additional mineral claims at our Golden Crest project during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 with no similar mineral property additions during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, $918,000 was provided from the net sales of our short-term investments compared to $809,000 in cash provided from the sale of short-term investments during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

There were no other significant provisions or use of cash during the three months ended March 31, 2024 or 2023.

We did not sell any marketable equity securities during the three months ended March 31 2024 or 2023.

We may sell a portion of our marketable equity securities during the remainder of 2024;

2 unchanged sentences

Any potential mineral property acquisition or strategic corporate investment during the remainder of 2024, discussed above, could involve a significant change in our cash provided or used for investing activities, depending on the structure of any potential transaction.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we received net proceeds of $2,422,000 from a private placement to Newmont, discussed above.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we received net proceeds of $2,023,000 from the issuance of common stock under the ATM Program, discussed above.

In addition, during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 we received $59,000 and $20,000, respectively, from the issuance of common stock from the exercise of stock options, discussed above in Note 10, “Employee Stock Compensation Plans,” to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024 we received $14,000 from the issuance of common stock from the exercise of stock options, discussed above in Note 9, “Employee Stock Compensation Plans,” to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

No options were exercised during the three months ending March 31, 2023.

(e) Mineral Resources

11 unchanged sentences

(f) Off-balance sheet arrangements

As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had no off-balance sheet obligations.

As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had no off-balance sheet obligations.

(g) Development Activities, Exploration Activities, Environmental Compliance and Contractual Obligations

We are not involved in any development activities, nor do we have any contractual obligations related to any potential development activities as of September 30, 2023.

As of September 30, 2023, there have been no material changes to our contractual obligations for exploration activities, environmental compliance or other obligations from those disclosed in our Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in our 2022 Annual Report.

We are not involved in any development activities, nor do we have any contractual obligations related to any potential development activities as of March 31, 2024.

As of March 31, 2024, there have been no material changes to our contractual obligations for exploration activities, environmental compliance or other obligations from those disclosed in our Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in our 2023 Annual Report.

(h) Discontinued Projects

We did not record any mineral property write-downs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

We did not record any mineral property write-downs during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.

(i) Significant Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates

4 unchanged sentences

In such cases, a recoverability test may be necessary to determine if an impairment charge is required.

There has been no change to our assumptions, estimates or calculations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

There has been no change to our assumptions, estimates or calculations during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

(j) Related Party Transactions

As of September 30, 2023, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, we have no related party transactions or balances.

As of March 31, 2024, and for the three months ended March 31, 2024, we have no related party transactions or balances.

(k) Recent Accounting Pronouncements

11 unchanged sentences

Our ability to secure financing in the credit or capital markets in amounts and on terms that will allow us to execute our business strategy, invest in new projects, and maintain adequate liquidity;

Our estimates of fair value of our investment in shares of Vendetta, Vox and Kinross;

Our estimates of fair value of our investment in shares of Vendetta, Vox, Highlander and Kinross;

Our expectations regarding development and exploration of our properties including those subject to joint venture and shareholder agreements;

1 unchanged sentence

The impact of technological changes, system failures, or breaches of our network security as well as other cyber security risks that could subject us to increased operating costs, litigation and other liabilities:

The effects of volatile economic conditions, including financial market volatility, inflation, rising interest rates, and labor and supply shortages;

The effects of macro-economic and geo-political conditions, including financial market volatility, inflation, rising interest rates, and labor and supply shortages;

Our future financial condition or results of operations and our future revenues and expenses;

Our business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations;

Risks related to natural disasters or adverse external events such as endemics or pandemics.

Risks related to natural disasters or adverse external events such as epidemics or pandemics.

Although we have 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.

4 unchanged sentences

Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.

What changed 10-Q

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis