Sydney, Feb 16, 2026, 17:39 AEDT — Market ended the day
- Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) slipped 1.6% to close at A$15.19, pulling back from a session peak of A$16.02.
- Gold dropped over 1% in light trading, with both U.S. and China markets closed for holidays.
- Up next for EVN: ex-dividend comes up March 3, with the March-quarter update following on April 15.
Evolution Mining Limited dropped 1.6% to close at A$15.19 on Monday, finishing right at the session low. Shares touched A$16.02 earlier but remain close to the 52-week high of A$16.30. 1
It’s notable given how packed the EVN trade has gotten—investors have piled in, eyeing both surging bullion and that hefty interim dividend flagged just last week. A volatile session, then a close pinned to the lows: that’s the kind of action that tends to put folks on edge before the bell rings again.
Spot gold dropped 1.1%, landing near $4,986 an ounce as U.S. and Chinese markets remained closed for holidays. Some traders cashed in gains after Friday’s rally. “Gold has given back some of Friday’s post-CPI gains today due to thinner trading conditions and a lack of fresh upside catalysts,” said Tim Waterer, KCM chief analyst. Investors are betting the Federal Reserve will keep rates steady in March; typically, lower rates benefit gold, which doesn’t pay interest. 2
Australian shares managed a modest gain, yet sliding commodity prices continued to drag down major miners, according to the ABC. 3
Deal chatter lit up the sector, too. Genesis Minerals rolled out a A$639 million cash-and-scrip offer for Magnetic Resources. Aeris Resources, meanwhile, sealed a deal to acquire Peel Mining’s South Cobar copper project. 4
Evolution turned in a record statutory net profit of A$767 million for the half-year ended Dec. 31, and announced a record interim dividend of 20 Australian cents a share, fully franked. “Our half-year result reflects the strength of our operating discipline,” said CEO Lawrie Conway. The dividend trades ex on March 3 and is payable April 2. 5
The Northparkes expansion, while driving the recent rally, doesn’t come free. Evolution’s revised metal stream agreement with Triple Flag sets out a A$120 million refundable deposit, payable by Dec. 15, 2026. It also pares back the E44 stream—only 25% of payable gold and 37.5% of payable silver now stay in play. If Evolution hasn’t given the green light on E44 by end-2029, it can pay back the deposit (plus compensation) and drop the minimum delivery terms. “We are pleased to provide additional development funding to Evolution,” Triple Flag CEO Sheldon Vanderkooy said. 6
Traders are eyeing gold to see if it holds its ground once global liquidity comes back post-holiday. Attention also turns to EVN, with some watching for buying ahead of the March 3 ex-dividend date. After that, the next big company event on the radar: Evolution’s March-quarter results, landing April 15. 7
