Battle North Gold (OTCMKTS:BNAUF) and Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO) Critical Survey

Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO) and Battle North Gold (OTCMKTS:BNAUF) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability.

Volatility and Risk

Southern Copper has a beta of 1.14, indicating that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Battle North Gold has a beta of 1.77, indicating that its share price is 77% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

7.9% of Southern Copper shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Southern Copper shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Southern Copper and Battle North Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Southern Copper	27.67%	37.11%	17.38%
Battle North Gold	N/A	-83.80%	-42.62%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Southern Copper and Battle North Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Southern Copper	4	3	2	0	1.78
Battle North Gold	0	0	0	0	0.00

Southern Copper presently has a consensus target price of $94.81, suggesting a potential upside of 3.83%. Given Southern Copper’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Southern Copper is more favorable than Battle North Gold.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Southern Copper and Battle North Gold”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Southern Copper	$9.90 billion	7.25	$2.43 billion	$3.88	23.51
Battle North Gold	N/A	N/A	-$15.90 million	N/A	N/A

Southern Copper has higher revenue and earnings than Battle North Gold.

Summary

Southern Copper beats Battle North Gold on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Southern Copper

Southern Copper Corporation engages in mining, exploring, smelting, and refining copper and other minerals in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile. The company is involved in the mining, milling, and flotation of copper ore to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates; smelting of copper concentrates to produce blister and anode copper; refining of anode copper to produce copper cathodes; production of molybdenum concentrate and sulfuric acid; production of refined silver, gold, and other materials; and mining and processing of zinc, copper, molybdenum, silver, gold, and lead. It operates the Toquepala and Cuajone open-pit mines, and a smelter and refinery in Peru; and La Caridad, an open-pit copper mine, as well as a copper ore concentrator, a SX-EW plant, a smelter, refinery, and a rod plant in Mexico. The company also operates Buenavista, an open-pit copper mine, as well as two copper concentrators and two operating SX-EW plants in Mexico. In addition, it operates underground mines that produce zinc, lead, copper, silver, and gold; a coal mine; and a zinc refinery. The company has interests in 156,818 hectares and 502,688 hectares of concessions in Peru and Mexico; and 168,200 hectares and 28,453 hectares of exploration concessions in Argentina and Chile. Southern Copper Corporation was incorporated in 1952 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Southern Copper Corporation is a subsidiary of Americas Mining Corporation.

About Battle North Gold

Battle North Gold Corporation engages in the exploration of gold properties in Canada and the United States. Its flagship project is the Bateman Gold Project located in the Red Lake gold district in Ontario, Canada. The company also holds approximately 282 square kilometers of mineral claims in the Red Lake area; and owns a gold exploration project on the Long Canyon gold trend near the Nevada-Utah border in the United States. The company was formerly known as Rubicon Minerals Corporation and changed its name to Battle North Gold Corporation in July 2020. Battle North Gold Corporation was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.