Analyzing Dakota Gold (NYSE:DC) & Metals Acquisition (NYSE:MTAL)

Dakota Gold (NYSE:DC) and Metals Acquisition (NYSE:MTAL) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings and dividends.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.4% of Dakota Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.5% of Metals Acquisition shares are owned by institutional investors. 26.0% of Dakota Gold shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Metals Acquisition shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Dakota Gold has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Metals Acquisition has a beta of 0.16, meaning that its share price is 84% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Dakota Gold and Metals Acquisition, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Dakota Gold	0	0	1	0	3.00
Metals Acquisition	0	1	1	0	2.50

Dakota Gold currently has a consensus target price of $6.00, suggesting a potential upside of 166.67%. Metals Acquisition has a consensus target price of $14.75, suggesting a potential upside of 33.16%. Given Dakota Gold’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Dakota Gold is more favorable than Metals Acquisition.

Profitability

This table compares Dakota Gold and Metals Acquisition’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Dakota Gold	N/A	-37.64%	-35.60%
Metals Acquisition	N/A	N/A	N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Dakota Gold and Metals Acquisition”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Dakota Gold	N/A	N/A	-$36.45 million	($0.41)	-5.49
Metals Acquisition	$322.58 million	2.54	-$144.55 million	N/A	N/A

Dakota Gold has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Metals Acquisition.

Summary

Dakota Gold beats Metals Acquisition on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Dakota Gold

Dakota Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in the United States. It primarily explores for gold deposits. The company holds 100% interest in the Blind Gold, City Creek, Tinton, West Corridor, Ragged Top, Poorman Anticline, Maitland, South Lead/ Whistler Gulch, the Barrick Option, Richmond Hill and Homestake Paleoplacer Properties located in Homestake Mining District, South Dakota. Dakota Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Lead, South Dakota.

About Metals Acquisition

Metals Acquisition Limited focuses on mining and production of copper and silver. It operates the CSA copper mine in Cobar, Australia. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is headquartered in Saint Helier, Jersey.