There’s no shortage of options for those who want to invest in mining companies. But investors will need to pay close attention to the price history and location of the material being mined before they buy in, as shifting political tides have the potential to sideline operations.
What are mining stocks?
Mining stocks are stocks from companies that extract minerals and materials from the earth. Mined materials vary in composition and can be divided into the following major categories:
Energy materials. Bitumen, coal and uranium.
Fertilizers. Boron, rock phosphate, potash and sulfur.
Industrial metals. Aluminum, cobalt, copper, iron ore, lithium, nickel and zinc.
There are two major categories of mining stocks: majors and juniors. Majors refer to well-established companies with international operations and a history of steady profits — they share the same status as blue-chip stocks in the general stock market. Juniors are small mining companies with less working capital and shorter histories than their major counterparts — think of them as a type of growth stock specific to the mining industry.
Why invest in mining stocks?
Thanks to its long history, economic viability and global demand, the mining industry holds great potential for profit. Many industries rely on mining efforts to produce the materials needed to manufacture their wares and services. Without cobalt, electric vehicle manufacturers would flounder. Without uranium, we wouldn’t have nuclear energy. Mining is a time- and energy-intensive process. But mining companies continue to expand their reach thanks to the international demand for what they source and produce. This type of global reliance on mined materials makes this industry among the more powerful and viable investment categories. Major mining companies offer the opportunity for steady returns and dividends. Junior mining companies hold the potential for rapid growth. Investors should research the mining company of interest to them and what materials it yields to determine potential benefits specific to the product.
Risks of investing in mining stocks
The mining industry isn’t immune to risk and faces several unique challenges — chief among them: economic and geopolitical shifts. The mining industry tends to do well in an up market because the profitability of this sector is largely tied to the health of the global economy. When demand for mined metals and materials is high, mining companies are well-positioned for strong and consistent cash flow. But when demand is low in response to a down market, mining companies may suffer. Mining companies are also vulnerable to political regulations depending on where their mines are located. Many mining stocks on the market are international companies with mine locations across the globe. A mine’s location can have a big impact on a mining company’s profitability, as the political environment of the country the mine is located in can impact mining processes and material prices.
Mining market projections
In 2019, the combined revenue of the top 40 mining companies worldwide amounted to $692 billion. But 2019 wasn’t a good year for net profit margins — a figure that’s been on the decline for the past decade. Net profits for the industry dropped from 35% in 2010 to 9% in 2019, according to Statista. That said, employment and total mining gross output for the US have been steadily growing. In the year 2000, gross output sat at $218 billion and approximately 521,000 people were employed within the industry. By 2019, Statista reports that gross output for the US mining industry had more than doubled to $579 billion and employment had increased to 672,000.
Mining stocks
Mining stocks include both domestic and international companies that produce all sorts of minerals and precious metals. If you’re interested in a specific material or commodity, take some time to research the company, its history and its financials before you buy in.
See how the following stocks are performing, and view details like market capitalization, the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio and dividend yield.
Company summary
Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. holds concessions to operate, maintain, and develop airports in the southeast region of Mexico. The company operates airports that are located in the cities of Cancún, Cozumel, Mérida, Huatulco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Villahermosa, Tapachula, and Minatitlán. It provides aeronautical services, which include passenger, aircraft landing and parking, passenger walkway, and airport security services. The company also offers non-aeronautical services, such as leasing of space at its airports to retailers, restaurants, airlines, and other commercial tenants; catering, handling, and ground transportation services, as well as engages in the various commercial operations. In addition, it holds concessions to operate the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and various airports in Colombia, including the Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, the José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, the Los Garzones Airport in Montería, the Antonio Roldán Betancourt Airport in Carepa, the El Caraño Airport in Quibdó, and the Las Brujas Airport in Corozal. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.
Albemarle Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets engineered specialty chemicals worldwide. It operates through three segments: Energy Storage, Specialties and Ketjen. The Energy Storage segment offers lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and lithium chloride; technical services for the handling and use of reactive lithium products; and lithium-containing by-products recycling services. The Specialties segment provides bromine-based specialty chemicals, including elemental bromine, alkyl and inorganic bromides, brominated powdered activated carbon, and other bromine fine chemicals; lithium specialties, such as butyllithium and lithium aluminum hydride; develops and manufactures cesium products for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries; and zirconium, barium, and titanium products for pyrotechnical applications that include airbag initiators. The Ketjen segment offers clean fuels technologies (CFT), which is composed of hydroprocessing catalysts (HPC) together with isomerization and akylation catalysts; fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and additives; and performance catalyst solutions (PCS), which is composed of organometallics and curatives. The company serves the energy storage, petroleum refining, consumer electronics, construction, automotive, lubricants, pharmaceuticals, and crop protection markets. Albemarle Corporation was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer company. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 100% interest in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia; 24% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp. In addition, it has a portfolio of other evaluation and exploration assets in Mali and Finland. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Barrick Gold Corporation engages in the exploration, mine development, production, and sale of gold and copper properties in Canada and internationally. The company also explores and sells silver and energy materials. It has ownership interests in producing gold mines located in Argentina, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Tanzania, and the United States. The company also has ownership interests in producing copper mines located in Chile, Saudi Arabia, and Zambia; and various other projects located in the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Barrick Gold Corporation was founded in 1983 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
BHP Group Limited operates as a resources company in Australia, Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, the rest of Asia, North America, South America, and internationally. The company operates through Copper, Iron Ore, and Coal segments. It engages in the mining of copper, silver, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, iron ore, and metallurgical and energy coal. The company is also involved in mining, smelting, and refining of nickel; and potash development activities. In addition, it provides towing, freight, marketing and trading, marketing support, finance, administrative, and other services. BHP Group Limited was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The company was formerly known as Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and changed its name to Freeport-McMoRan Inc. in July 2014. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
As of January 10, 2020, operates as a subsidiary of Parsley Energy, Inc.
Historical performance
Stock information
Market capitalization: $1756454656
P/E ratio: 10.6883
PEG ratio: 0.35
Dividend yield: 0%
Company summary
Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Fiji, and Ghana. The company was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Pan American Silver Corp. engages in the exploration, mine development, extraction, processing, refining, and reclamation of silver, gold, zinc, lead, and copper mines in Canada, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. The company was formerly known as Pan American Minerals Corp. and changed its name to Pan American Silver Corp. in April 1995. Pan American Silver Corp. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Pretium Resources Inc. acquires, explores for, and develops precious metal resource properties in the Americas. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It holds 100% interests in the Brucejack project that consists of 4 mining leases and 6 mineral claims covering an area of 3,306 hectares located in northwestern British Columbia. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. As of March 9, 2022, Pretium Resources Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Newcrest Mining Limited.
Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. The Iron Ore segment engages in the iron ore mining, and salt and gypsum production in Western Australia. The Aluminum segment is involved in bauxite mining; alumina refining; and aluminium smelting. The Copper segment engages in mining and refining of copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, and other by-products and exploration activities. The Minerals segment is involved in mining and processing of borates, titanium dioxide feedstock, and iron concentrate and pellets; diamond mining, sorting, and marketing; and development projects for battery materials, such as lithium. It also owns and operates open pit and underground mines; and refineries, smelters, processing plants and power, and shipping facilities. Rio Tinto Group was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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 operates as a subsidiary of Americas Mining Corporation.
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. primarily sells precious metals in North America, Europe, and South America. It produces and sells gold, silver, palladium, and cobalt deposits. The company was formerly known as Silver Wheaton Corp. and changed its name to Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. in May 2017. Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Vale S.A., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services. The Energy Transition Materials segment produces and extracts nickel used to produce stainless steel, electric vehicles, and metal alloys; and its by-products, such as gold, silver, cobalt, precious metals, platinum, and others, as well as copper used in the construction sector to produce pipes and electrical wires. The company was formerly known as Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and changed its name to Vale S.A. in May 2009. Vale S.A. was founded in 1942 and is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
You’ll need a brokerage account to invest in mining stocks. Compare options by features and fees to find the account that best meets your needs.
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Bottom line
Major mining stocks represent a potential long-term investment with the opportunity for steady gains. Junior mining stocks may have more growth potential but are typically riskier investments. Before you purchase either, review your platform options to find the brokerage account that’s ideal for your investment goals.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. There are numerous penny stocks in the mining category, including Coeur Mining, IMG International Mining, Kinross Gold, New Gold and Silvercorp Metals.
Yes. Some that do include Albemarle, Barrick Gold, Freeport-McMoRan and Newmont.
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Finder is not an adviser or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.
Shannon Terrell is a lead writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet and a former editor at Finder, specializing in personal finance. Her writing and analysis on investing and banking has been featured in Bloomberg, Global News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates and Black Enterprise. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and English literature from the University of Toronto Mississauga.
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