Head-To-Head Contrast: B2Gold (NYSE:BTG) versus i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX)

i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) and B2Gold (NYSE:BTG) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, institutional ownership and earnings.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares i-80 Gold and B2Gold”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
i-80 Gold	$54.91 million	4.11	-$65.20 million	($0.36)	-1.55
B2Gold	$1.93 billion	1.60	$10.10 million	($0.56)	-4.21

B2Gold has higher revenue and earnings than i-80 Gold. B2Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than i-80 Gold, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares i-80 Gold and B2Gold’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%
B2Gold	-38.42%	7.53%	5.56%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

61.3% of i-80 Gold shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.4% of B2Gold shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of B2Gold shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

i-80 Gold has a beta of 1.25, indicating that its share price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, B2Gold has a beta of 1.09, indicating that its share price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for i-80 Gold and B2Gold, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
i-80 Gold	0	3	0	1	2.50
B2Gold	1	5	1	0	2.00

i-80 Gold currently has a consensus target price of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 528.37%. B2Gold has a consensus target price of $4.02, indicating a potential upside of 70.56%. Given i-80 Gold’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe i-80 Gold is more favorable than B2Gold.

Summary

B2Gold beats i-80 Gold on 8 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 B2Gold

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.