Financial Contrast: Coppernico Metals (OTCMKTS:CPPMF) versus Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB)

Coppernico Metals (OTCMKTS:CPPMF) and Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB) are two small-cap companies in the basic materials sector. Investors often look to compare these companies to identify which might be a better investment opportunity. This article analyzes various aspects of both companies, focusing on their risk factors, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, dividends, and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Recommendations

We begin with recent analyst ratings and price targets provided by MarketBeat.com. The summary is as follows:

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Coppernico Metals	0	0	0	0	N/A
Taseko Mines	0	0	2	1	3.33

Taseko Mines has a consensus price target of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 58.01%. Given this higher expected upside, analysts generally perceive Taseko Mines as a more favorable investment compared to Coppernico Metals.

Profitability

Next, we compare profitability metrics between the two companies, focusing on net margins, return on equity, and return on assets:

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Coppernico Metals	7.31%	-8.02%	-3.71%
Taseko Mines	13.07%	18.82%	4.78%

Taseko Mines demonstrates stronger profitability across these key metrics, suggesting better operational efficiency compared to Coppernico Metals.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

Regarding ownership structures, Taseko Mines has 17.9% of its shares owned by institutional investors and 2.3% owned by insiders. High institutional ownership often signals confidence from larger investors that the stock may outperform the market over time.

Earnings & Valuation

Examining the earnings and valuation aspects provides further insights:

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Coppernico Metals	$231.89 million	0.28	$24.58 million	$0.09	3.38
Taseko Mines	$582.21 million	1.14	$61.28 million	$0.19	11.66

Taseko Mines shows higher gross revenue and net income than Coppernico Metals, indicating more robust financial health. Although Coppernico Metals trades at a lower price-to-earnings ratio, Taseko Mines clearly has the upper hand in terms of earnings and size.

Risk and Volatility

In terms of stock price volatility, Coppernico Metals has a beta of 2.01, meaning it is 101% more volatile than the S&P 500. Conversely, Taseko Mines has a beta of 1.74, indicating it is 74% more volatile than the index. This suggests that Coppernico Metals carries a higher risk profile compared to Taseko Mines.

Summary

After reviewing these various factors, it is evident that Taseko Mines outperforms Coppernico Metals in 13 of the 14 areas compared, making a strong case for it as the preferred investment option.

About Coppernico Metals

Coppernico Metals is involved in the mining, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada, focusing on copper, gold, and silver. The company holds a significant stake in the Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia, which encompasses a large area of mineral claims.

About Taseko Mines

Taseko Mines Limited is a mining company that acquires, develops, and operates mineral properties focusing primarily on copper and other minerals like molybdenum, gold, and silver. Its principal asset is the Gibraltar mine located in British Columbia.

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