Mineral & Metal ResourcesNarrow moat

Mitsui & Co. (8031) — moat facet

Mitsui's largest segment earns its best return on assets, and its profit has fallen a quarter in two years with iron ore.

Mineral & Metal Resources earned ¥335.1 billion in the year to March 2024, ¥285.4 billion in 2025 and ¥253.6 billion in 202612. Its revenue was ¥1,921.6 billion3 and its assets ¥4,313.2 billion4, a return on assets of 5.9%, the highest of the seven segments56. It produced ¥330.4 billion of core operating cash flow, a third of the company's total7.

Mineral & Metal Resources (¥ bn, years to March)335.12024285.42025253.62026250.0 (Q1: 61.2)2027 planPlan with first-quarter profit in brackets; Mitsui results, May and August 2026
Three years of decline and a stronger first quarter.

Iron ore dominates it: the Australian iron ore business contributed ¥218.7 billion and the Vale dividend ¥43.5 billion8. The rest is smaller and weaker. Japan Collahuasi Resources contributed ¥17.3 billion, Inner Mongolia Erdos ¥11.5 billion, the metallurgical coal business a loss of ¥0.9 billion and Anglo American Sur a loss of ¥10.6 billion9.

The segment is also where Mitsui is investing most. Its net investment cash outflow was ¥827.9 billion in the latest year10, mostly Rhodes Ridge, which will not produce before about 203011.

The plan for the current year is ¥250.0 billion12, and the first quarter earned ¥61.2 billion against ¥51.5 billion13.

The measure is the segment's profit against its plan. With iron ore volumes flat until Rhodes Ridge, the ¥250.0 billion target is essentially a forecast of the iron ore price.

Moat trajectory: Narrowing

Down from ¥335.1 billion to ¥253.6 billion; the plan is flat.

The number that tests this moat
Reported
Mineral & Metal Resources profit, April-June 2026
¥61.2bn against ¥51.5bn

The first quarter's progress toward a ¥250.0 billion plan; iron ore sets the rest.

Source: Mitsui & Co. results, April-June 2026 ↗
References
  1. ReportedMineral & Metal Resources earned ¥335.1 billion in the year to March 2024, ¥285.4 billion in 2025 and ¥253.6 billion in 2026.
    Mitsui & Co., Consolidated Financial Results for the year ended March 31, 2025 (IFRS) - including segment information for the years to March 2025 and 2024. — FY to March 2025 · publ. May 2025 · source ↗
  2. ReportedMineral & Metal Resources earned ¥335.1 billion in the year to March 2024, ¥285.4 billion in 2025 and ¥253.6 billion in 2026.
    Mitsui & Co., Consolidated Financial Results for the year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - the consolidated statements of income, financial position and cash flows, segment information, dividends, buybacks and the forecast for the year to March 2027. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedIts revenue was ¥1,921.6 billion and its assets ¥4,313.2 billion, a return on assets of 5.9%, the highest of the seven segments.
    Mitsui & Co., Consolidated Financial Results for the year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - the consolidated statements of income, financial position and cash flows, segment information, dividends, buybacks and the forecast for the year to March 2027. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedIts revenue was ¥1,921.6 billion and its assets ¥4,313.2 billion, a return on assets of 5.9%, the highest of the seven segments.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, data section - results by operating segment: gross profit, equity-method profit, dividend income, core operating cash flow and total assets. — FY to March 2022-2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  5. ReportedIts revenue was ¥1,921.6 billion and its assets ¥4,313.2 billion, a return on assets of 5.9%, the highest of the seven segments.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, data section - results by operating segment: gross profit, equity-method profit, dividend income, core operating cash flow and total assets. — FY to March 2022-2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  6. Moat Explorer calcIts revenue was ¥1,921.6 billion and its assets ¥4,313.2 billion, a return on assets of 5.9%, the highest of the seven segments.
    Moat Explorer calculation from Mitsui & Co.'s reported figures. Resource share of profit: (253.6 + 164.2) / 834.0 = 50.1% (2026), 51.0% (2025), 58.0% (2024). Iron ore business share: 262.2 / 834.0 = 31.4%. Trailing twelve months to June 2026: net income 833,971 - 191,647 + 294,052 = 936,376; revenue 13,995.2 - 3,299.9 + 4,347.6 = 15,042.9; EPS 291.12 - 66.68 + 103.73 = 328.17. P/S at March year-ends: 5,340.8 / 11,757.6 = 0.45 (2022), 0.44 (2023), 0.80 (2024), 0.55 (2025), 16,969.0 / 13,995.2 = 1.21 (2026). Share price change since March: 5,033 / 5,959 - 1 = -15.5%. Shares issued, split-adjusted: 3,284.7 million (March 2022) to 2,864.7 million (March 2026) = -12.8%. Equity-method profit and dividend income: 447.4 + 178.7 = 626.1, 57.6% of profit before tax of 1,087.1. Segment profit over segment assets, year to March 2026: Mineral & Metal Resources 253.6 / 4,313.2 = 5.9%; Machinery & Infrastructure 225.9 / 4,427.3 = 5.1%; Energy 164.2 / 4,181.4 = 3.9%; Chemicals 67.5 / 2,241.8 = 3.0%; Lifestyle 52.0 / 3,091.1 = 1.7%; Innovation & Corporate Development 59.0 / 2,655.3 = 2.2%; Iron & Steel Products 18.9 / 862.4 = 2.2%. Innovation & Corporate Development including other and adjustments: 59.0 + 20.7 - 27.7 = 51.9 (2026), 87.3 - 42.8 + 21.5 = 65.9 (2025), 53.8 + 5.6 - 5.9 = 53.6 (2024). A $10 move in iron ore: 10 x ¥3.0 billion = ¥30 billion, 3.3% of the ¥920 billion forecast. Berkshire's market value over cost: 8,785 / 3,490 = 2.52 times; dividend on cost 201 / 3,490 = 5.8%. Progress against guidance: 294.1 / 920.0 = 32.0%. Profit growth since the year to March 2016's loss: from -83.4 to 834.0. Resource profits: 335.1 + 281.7 = 616.8 (2024) and 253.6 + 164.2 = 417.8 (2026). Three largest segments: (253.6 + 225.9 + 164.2) / 841.1 = 76.5%. Energy Trading Singapore: 1,986,458 / 13,995,222 = 14.2%. First-quarter one-time gains: (44.2 + 10.2) / 294.1 = 18.5%. Innovation & Corporate Development first quarter against plan: 65.2 / 70.0 = 93%. Arctic LNG 2 provision change: 66,109 - 57,759 = 8,350. A $1 move in US gas: 10 x ¥1.2 billion = ¥12 billion. Vale dividend: 35.0 / 59.6 - 1 = -41%; 43.5 / 35.0 - 1 = +24%. Truck leasing holding: 19.8 / 28.4 - 1 = -30%; 18.8 / 19.8 - 1 = -5%. Profit to the 2029 target: 1,100 / 834.0 = 1.32; to the 2031 vision: 1,400 / 834.0 = 1.68. Berkshire value over cost 2.52 and dividend yield on cost 5.8%. Ministers North at full production: 7% x 20 Mt = 1.4 Mt. Mainstream charges: 15.1 + 15.9 + 28.05 = 59.05. Vale dividend fall against segment profit: (59.6 - 35.0) / 285.4 = 8.6%. Mitsui against smaller houses: profit 936.4 / 619.1 = 1.51 and 936.4 / 575.9 = 1.63; value 14.63 / 8.51 = 1.72 and 14.63 / 8.09 = 1.81. Trailing P/E: 14.63 trillion / 936.4 billion = 15.6; P/S 14.63 / 15.043 = 0.97. Dividend growth: 115 / 27.5 = 4.2 times. — FY to March 2026 · publ. September 2026 · source ↗
    Method: Arithmetic on figures reported in Mitsui & Co.'s results, integrated report, securities report and market data; operands shown in the source line.
  7. ReportedIt produced ¥330.4 billion of core operating cash flow, a third of the company's total.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, data section - results by operating segment: gross profit, equity-method profit, dividend income, core operating cash flow and total assets. — FY to March 2022-2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  8. ReportedIron ore dominates it: the Australian iron ore business contributed ¥218.7 billion and the Vale dividend ¥43.5 billion.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, data section - the major affiliates by segment with ownership and share of profit. — FY to March 2022-2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedJapan Collahuasi Resources contributed ¥17.3 billion, Inner Mongolia Erdos ¥11.5 billion, the metallurgical coal business a loss of ¥0.9 billion and Anglo American Sur a loss of ¥10.6 billion.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, data section - the major affiliates by segment with ownership and share of profit. — FY to March 2022-2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  10. ReportedIts net investment cash outflow was ¥827.9 billion in the latest year, mostly Rhodes Ridge, which will not produce before about 2030.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, data section - results by operating segment: gross profit, equity-method profit, dividend income, core operating cash flow and total assets. — FY to March 2022-2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  11. ReportedIts net investment cash outflow was ¥827.9 billion in the latest year, mostly Rhodes Ridge, which will not produce before about 2030.
    Mitsui & Co. Integrated Report 2026, Our Edge - profit of the iron ore, LNG, mobility and protein and healthcare businesses, the iron ore and LNG growth paths, IHH's hospitals and market positions. — 2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  12. ReportedThe plan for the current year is ¥250.0 billion, and the first quarter earned ¥61.2 billion against ¥51.5 billion.
    Mitsui & Co., Consolidated Financial Results for the year ended March 31, 2026 (IFRS) - the consolidated statements of income, financial position and cash flows, segment information, dividends, buybacks and the forecast for the year to March 2027. — FY to March 2026 · publ. 1 May 2026 · source ↗
  13. ReportedThe plan for the current year is ¥250.0 billion, and the first quarter earned ¥61.2 billion against ¥51.5 billion.
    Mitsui & Co., Consolidated Financial Results for the three months ended June 30, 2026 (IFRS) - revenue, profit, segment results on the new basis, core operating cash flow and the balance sheet. — April-June 2026 · publ. 4 August 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated September 24, 2026