Metals & Mineral ResourcesNarrow moat

Marubeni (8002) — moat facet

Marubeni's most profitable segment earns 8% on its assets through mines other companies run.

Metals & Mineral Resources earned net profit of ¥134,291 million in the year to March 2026, up from ¥123,497 million, on revenue of ¥918,917 million1. Its operating profit was only ¥26,528 million; its share of associates' profit was ¥128,666 million2.

Metals & Mineral Resources, profit by business, yr to Mar 2026 (¥ bn)Chilean copper57.8Steelmaking coal27.9Marubeni-Itochu Steel20.2Roy Hill iron ore19.2Marubeni IR presentation, May 2026
Copper is the largest piece, and more than twice the next.

The segment holds Marubeni's copper stakes in Chile, its steelmaking coal stakes in Australia, 15% of Roy Hill iron ore, aluminium smelters in Canada and Australia, and half of Marubeni-Itochu Steel3. The Chilean copper holding earned ¥57.8 billion, the coal business ¥27.9 billion, Roy Hill ¥19.2 billion and Marubeni-Itochu Steel ¥20.2 billion4. The company values its copper exposure at about ¥590.0 billion, iron ore at about ¥190.0 billion and coal at about ¥150.0 billion5.

Its segment assets were ¥1,647,649 million6, so the segment earned about 8.2% on them7. Its adjusted profit rose from ¥125 billion to ¥138 billion8, and it is forecast at ¥153.0 billion for the year to March 20279.

In April-June 2026 it earned ¥42.0 billion against ¥28.7 billion10, the largest quarterly increase in the company.

The segment is the most profitable use of capital Marubeni has, and the least controllable. A copper price well below the $12,000 a tonne assumed in the forecast11 would reverse the latest year's gains.

Moat trajectory: Widening

Profit rose to ¥134.3 billion and is forecast at ¥153.0 billion; the copper expansion adds volume from 2027.

The number that tests this moat
Reported
Metals & Mineral Resources net profit
¥134.3bn against ¥123.5bn

Copper drove the increase; the forecast of ¥153.0 billion assumes $12,000 a tonne.

Source: Marubeni financial results, year to March 2026 ↗
References
  1. ReportedMetals & Mineral Resources earned net profit of ¥134,291 million in the year to March 2026, up from ¥123,497 million, on revenue of ¥918,917 million.
    Marubeni Corporation, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - consolidated statements of profit or loss, financial position and cash flows, the segment note on the ten operating segments with revenue, gross trading profit, operating profit, share of profit of associates, net profit and segment assets, the investments in associates by segment, the one-time items including the Daiichi Life real-estate valuation gain, the dividend and buyback record, and the forecast for the year to March 2027 with its assumptions. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  2. ReportedIts operating profit was only ¥26,528 million; its share of associates' profit was ¥128,666 million.
    Marubeni Corporation, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - consolidated statements of profit or loss, financial position and cash flows, the segment note on the ten operating segments with revenue, gross trading profit, operating profit, share of profit of associates, net profit and segment assets, the investments in associates by segment, the one-time items including the Daiichi Life real-estate valuation gain, the dividend and buyback record, and the forecast for the year to March 2027 with its assumptions. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedThe segment holds Marubeni's copper stakes in Chile, its steelmaking coal stakes in Australia, 15% of Roy Hill iron ore, aluminium smelters in Canada and Australia, and half of Marubeni-Itochu Steel.
    Marubeni Corporation, full-year IR presentation for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 - resource asset table (stakes, capacities, partners and exposures), equity volumes, sensitivities to commodity prices and currencies, and the Middle East risk scenarios and risk-management framework. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedThe Chilean copper holding earned ¥57.8 billion, the coal business ¥27.9 billion, Roy Hill ¥19.2 billion and Marubeni-Itochu Steel ¥20.2 billion.
    Marubeni Corporation, full-year IR presentation for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 - net profit of major group companies by segment, with ownership and business descriptions. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  5. ReportedThe company values its copper exposure at about ¥590.0 billion, iron ore at about ¥190.0 billion and coal at about ¥150.0 billion.
    Marubeni Corporation, full-year IR presentation for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 - resource asset table (stakes, capacities, partners and exposures), equity volumes, sensitivities to commodity prices and currencies, and the Middle East risk scenarios and risk-management framework. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  6. ReportedIts segment assets were ¥1,647,649 million, so the segment earned about 8.2% on them.
    Marubeni Corporation, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - consolidated statements of profit or loss, financial position and cash flows, the segment note on the ten operating segments with revenue, gross trading profit, operating profit, share of profit of associates, net profit and segment assets, the investments in associates by segment, the one-time items including the Daiichi Life real-estate valuation gain, the dividend and buyback record, and the forecast for the year to March 2027 with its assumptions. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  7. Moat Explorer calcIts segment assets were ¥1,647,649 million, so the segment earned about 8.2% on them.
    Moat Explorer calculation from Marubeni's reported figures. Equity-method share of profit before tax: 338.3 / 664.5 = 50.9%. Resources share of adjusted net profit: 147.0 / 480.0 = 30.6%. Investments in associates as a share of total assets: 3,504.2 / 10,531.8 = 33.3%. Segment net profit over segment assets, year to March 2026: Food & Agri 81.5 / 2,700.6 = 3.0%; Metals & Mineral Resources 134.3 / 1,647.6 = 8.2%; Finance, Leasing & Real Estate 162.0 / 1,021.0 = 15.9%; Power & Infrastructure 53.6 / 1,776.1 = 3.0%; Aerospace & Mobility 47.8 / 838.6 = 5.7%; Energy & Chemicals 23.2 / 1,147.6 = 2.0%; Lifestyle 25.9 / 667.6 = 3.9%. Food & Agri net margin on revenue: 81.5 / 3,720.5 = 2.2%. Total payout: (176.5 + 55.0) / 543.9 = 42.6%. Trailing twelve months to June 2026: net profit 543.9 + 186.4 - 154.4 = 575.9; revenue 8,265.8 + 2,609.2 - 2,163.7 = 8,711.3. Net profit growth from the year to March 2016: 543.9 / 62.3 = 8.7 times. Share of the Food & Agri segment's profit from Helena: 37.3 / 81.5 = 45.8%. Dividends received against equity-method income: 220.9 / 338.3 = 65.3%. Berkshire's gain on cost: 4,468 / 1,572 = 2.84 times. Equity growth from currency translation: 345.8 of 734.5 = 47.1%. Market value against the ¥26 trillion that ranked 100th in the world at March 2026: 8.09 / 26 = 31%. Other segments, year to March 2026: IT Solutions 5.4 + Next Generation Business Development 19.6 - Next Generation Corporate Development 1.7 - Other 7.7 = 15.6; with Lifestyle 25.9 the chart's last band is 41.5, and for the year to March 2025 29.5 + 3.5 + 4.7 - 2.2 + 17.3 = 52.8. Trailing P/E: 8.09 / 0.5759 = 14.0. — FY to March 2026 · publ. September 2026 · source ↗
    Method: Arithmetic on figures reported in Marubeni's financial results, integrated report and IR presentations; operands shown in the source line.
  8. ReportedIts adjusted profit rose from ¥125 billion to ¥138 billion, and it is forecast at ¥153.0 billion for the year to March 2027.
    Marubeni Corporation, full-year IR presentation for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 - adjusted net profit by segment and by resources and non-resources, and the one-time items. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedIts adjusted profit rose from ¥125 billion to ¥138 billion, and it is forecast at ¥153.0 billion for the year to March 2027.
    Marubeni Corporation, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - consolidated statements of profit or loss, financial position and cash flows, the segment note on the ten operating segments with revenue, gross trading profit, operating profit, share of profit of associates, net profit and segment assets, the investments in associates by segment, the one-time items including the Daiichi Life real-estate valuation gain, the dividend and buyback record, and the forecast for the year to March 2027 with its assumptions. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  10. ReportedIn April-June 2026 it earned ¥42.0 billion against ¥28.7 billion, the largest quarterly increase in the company.
    Marubeni Corporation, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results for the three months ended June 30, 2026 (IFRS) - revenue, operating profit and net profit, segment results, progress against the full-year forecast, the balance sheet at 30 June 2026, and the revised GC2027 capital allocation and new share buyback. — April-June 2026 · publ. 3 August 2026 · source ↗
  11. ReportedA copper price well below the $12,000 a tonne assumed in the forecast would reverse the latest year's gains.
    Marubeni Corporation, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - consolidated statements of profit or loss, financial position and cash flows, the segment note on the ten operating segments with revenue, gross trading profit, operating profit, share of profit of associates, net profit and segment assets, the investments in associates by segment, the one-time items including the Daiichi Life real-estate valuation gain, the dividend and buyback record, and the forecast for the year to March 2027 with its assumptions. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated September 24, 2026