Critical Survey: i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) and Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC)

i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) and Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares i-80 Gold and Kinross Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
i-80 Gold	-231.43%	-21.18%	-12.67%
Kinross Gold	18.43%	12.65%	7.83%

Risk & Volatility

i-80 Gold has a beta of 1.13, indicating that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kinross Gold has a beta of 1.29, indicating that its stock price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

61.3% of i-80 Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.7% of Kinross Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Kinross Gold shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for i-80 Gold and Kinross Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
i-80 Gold	0	2	0	1	2.67
Kinross Gold	0	1	3	0	2.75

i-80 Gold currently has a consensus price target of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 407.03%. Kinross Gold has a consensus price target of $11.63, indicating a potential upside of 0.00%. Given i-80 Gold’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe i-80 Gold is more favorable than Kinross Gold.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares i-80 Gold and Kinross Gold”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
i-80 Gold	$52.94 million	5.73	-$65.20 million	($0.36)	-1.92
Kinross Gold	$5.15 billion	2.78	$948.80 million	$0.77	15.10

Kinross Gold has higher revenue and earnings than i-80 Gold. i-80 Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kinross Gold, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Kinross Gold beats i-80 Gold on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About i-80 Gold

i-80 Gold Corp. is a mining company, engages in the exploration, development and production of gold and silver mineral deposits principally in the United States. i-80 Gold Corp. is based in Reno, Nevada.

About Kinross Gold

Kinross Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold properties principally in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and Mauritania. The company operates the Fort Knox mine and the Manh Choh project in Alaska, as well as the Round Mountain and the Bald Mountain mines in Nevada, the United States; the Paracatu mine in Brazil; the La Coipa and the Lobo-Marte project in Chile; the Tasiast mine in Mauritania; and the Great Bear project in Canada. It is also involved in the extraction and processing of gold-containing ores; reclamation of gold mining properties; and production and sale of silver. Kinross Gold Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.