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Highlights

  • Brokers maintain a BUY or SPECULATIVE BUY rating on Santana Minerals

  • Current average target price set at AUD 1.25, with upside potential from current levels

  • Positive drilling results from the Bendigo-Ophir project underpin analyst optimism

Santana Minerals Ltd (ASX/NZX:SMI) continues to gain bullish sentiment from analysts, with multiple brokerages reiterating their BUY recommendations, citing robust exploration results from the gold assets in New Zealand.

The latest analyst data from Bell Potter Securities, Canaccord Genuity, and Shaw and Partners reinforces a consensus that Santana offers strong upside potential. All three brokerages have issued "BUY" or "SPECULATIVE BUY" ratings, backed by price targets ranging from AUD 1.30 to AUD 1.56. The mean target price stands at AUD 1.25, offering a substantial premium over the current trading price of AUD 0.64 (NZD equivalent).

Bell Potter's analyst has reaffirmed a BUY rating with a target of AUD 1.30, analyst from Canaccord Genuity has a more aggressive target of AUD 1.56, and broker from from Shaw and Partners also maintains a BUY rating, targeting AUD 1.36.

The bullish outlook follows Santana's recent drilling successes at the Rise and Shine South orebody within the Bendigo-Ophir project, where intercepts such as 33 meters at 2.7 g/t gold and 19 meters at 1.5 g/t gold were reported. These findings were uncovered in geologically challenging terrain and represent significant extensions of previously modelled mineralisation.

Market reaction has mirrored analyst enthusiasm. Following the drilling update, Santana's shares jumped 10% on the Australian Securities Exchange and 13% on the New Zealand market, a move that reflects growing investor recognition of the company’s gold potential.

The company informed that the completion of the current infill drilling campaign is expected in the coming weeks, which could serve as a catalyst for further resource upgrades and valuation uplift. Additionally, Santana’s progress supports long-term re-rating potential, especially as gold prices remain firm and investor interest in safe-haven assets continues to rise.