Reviewing U.S. GoldMining (NASDAQ:USGO) and Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB)

Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB) and U.S. GoldMining (NASDAQ:USGO) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

17.9% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.5% of U.S. GoldMining shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of U.S. GoldMining shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Taseko Mines and U.S. GoldMining, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Taseko Mines	0	0	2	1	3.33
U.S. GoldMining	0	0	1	0	3.00

Taseko Mines presently has a consensus price target of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 52.17%. U.S. GoldMining has a consensus price target of $23.50, indicating a potential upside of 315.19%. Given U.S. GoldMining’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe U.S. GoldMining is more favorable than Taseko Mines.

Volatility and Risk

Taseko Mines has a beta of 1.74, suggesting that its share price is 74% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, U.S. GoldMining has a beta of 2.37, suggesting that its share price is 137% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Taseko Mines and U.S. GoldMining”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Taseko Mines	$582.21 million	1.16	$61.28 million	$0.24	9.58
U.S. GoldMining	N/A	N/A	-$9.36 million	N/A	N/A

Taseko Mines has higher revenue and earnings than U.S. GoldMining.

Profitability

This table compares Taseko Mines and U.S. GoldMining’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Taseko Mines	13.07%	18.82%	4.78%
U.S. GoldMining	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Taseko Mines beats U.S. GoldMining on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Taseko Mines

Taseko Mines Limited, a mining company, acquires, develops, and operates mineral properties. It explores for copper, molybdenum, gold, niobium, and silver deposits. The company's principal asset comprises 100% interest owned the Gibraltar mine located in British Columbia. It also holds interest in the Yellowhead copper project, the Aley niobium project, and the New Prosperity gold and copper project located in British Columbia; and the Florence copper project located in Arizona. Taseko Mines Limited was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About U.S. GoldMining

U.S. GoldMining Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in the United States. The company's primary asset is the 100%-owned Whistler exploration property, a gold-copper exploration project comprising mining claims totaling 53,700 acres located in Yentna Mining District, Alaska. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Vancouver, Canada. U.S. GoldMining Inc. operates as a subsidiary of GoldMining Inc.