Comparing NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) and Augusta Gold (OTCMKTS:BFGCD)

NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) and Augusta Gold (OTCMKTS:BFGCD) 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 dividends, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares NioCorp Developments and Augusta Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NioCorp Developments	N/A	N/A	-103.75%
Augusta Gold	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for NioCorp Developments and Augusta Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NioCorp Developments	0	0	1	0	3.00
Augusta Gold	0	0	0	0	N/A

NioCorp Developments presently has a consensus target price of $8.50, indicating a potential upside of 405.95%. Given NioCorp Developments’ higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe NioCorp Developments is more favorable than Augusta Gold.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares NioCorp Developments and Augusta Gold”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NioCorp Developments	N/A	N/A	-$40.08 million	($0.37)	-4.54
Augusta Gold	N/A	N/A	N/A	($0.12)	-5.49

Augusta Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NioCorp Developments, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

4.0% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by institutional investors. 18.7% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 13.0% of Augusta Gold shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

NioCorp Developments has a beta of -0.34, meaning that its stock price is 134% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Augusta Gold has a beta of 1.19, meaning that its stock price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

NioCorp Developments beats Augusta Gold on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NioCorp Developments

NioCorp Developments Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of mineral deposits in North America. It owns and develops the Elk Creek niobium/scandium/titanium project that owns one 226.43-acre parcel of land and associated mineral rights, and an additional 40 acres of mineral rights, as well as an optioned land package that covers an area of 1,396 acres located in Johnson County, southeast Nebraska. The company was formerly known as Quantum Rare Earth Developments Corp. and changed its name to NioCorp Developments Ltd. in March 2013. NioCorp Developments Ltd. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.

About Augusta Gold

Augusta Gold Corp., a junior exploration company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in the United States. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and other metals. The company holds interests in the Bullfrog gold project located in the Bullfrog Hills of Nye County, Nevada. It also owns, controls, or has acquired mineral rights on Federal patented and unpatented mining claims in the state of Nevada for the purpose of exploration and potential development of metals on a total of approximately 7,800 acres of land. The company was formerly known as Bullfrog Gold Corp. and changed its name to Augusta Gold Corp. in January 2021. Augusta Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.