(Reuters) - Kinross Gold Corp's K.TO first-quarter profit rose 44 percent on higher gold prices, but fell short of estimates, and the Canadian miner said it would buy a 9.4 percent stake in Red Back Mining RBI.TO for C$600 million ($585.9 million).
Kinross said it would subscribe to 24 million shares of Red Back Mining for C$25 per share through a private placement.
The company, which operates in the Americas and Russia, also increased its 2010 capital expenditures by $40 million to $590 million and its exploration budget by $79 million to $97 million.
For the quarter ended March 31, the company earned $110.6 million, or 16 cents a share, compared with $76.5 million, or 11 cents a share a year ago.
Adjusted earnings per share was 14 Canadian cents per share.
Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 17 cents a share, before exceptional items.
Revenue rose 23 percent to $657.6, buoyed by stronger gold prices, and a 3 percent rise in production to 544,134 gold equivalent ounces.
Kinross said it expects to produce about 2.2 million gold equivalent ounces in 2010.
By 2015, it sees production above 3 million ounces.
Shares of the company closed at C$19.05 Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bangalore; Editing by Don Sebastian
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