Financial Contrast: Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB) versus Northern Dynasty Minerals (NASDAQ:NAK)

Northern Dynasty Minerals (NASDAQ:NAK) and Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Northern Dynasty Minerals and Taseko Mines’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Northern Dynasty Minerals	N/A	N/A	N/A
Taseko Mines	-2.09%	12.04%	2.89%

Volatility and Risk

Northern Dynasty Minerals has a beta of -0.06, indicating that its stock price is 106% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Taseko Mines has a beta of 1.27, indicating that its stock price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Northern Dynasty Minerals and Taseko Mines”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Northern Dynasty Minerals	N/A	N/A	N/A	($0.12)	-16.75
Taseko Mines	$596.94 million	4.66	$61.28 million	($0.13)	-59.31

Taseko Mines has higher revenue and earnings than Northern Dynasty Minerals. Taseko Mines is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Northern Dynasty Minerals, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Northern Dynasty Minerals and Taseko Mines, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Northern Dynasty Minerals	0	0	1	0	3.00
Taseko Mines	0	1	1	0	2.50

Northern Dynasty Minerals presently has a consensus price target of $2.50, suggesting a potential upside of 24.38%. Taseko Mines has a consensus price target of $5.00, suggesting a potential downside of 35.15%. Given Northern Dynasty Minerals’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Northern Dynasty Minerals is more favorable than Taseko Mines.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

10.6% of Northern Dynasty Minerals shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 17.9% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Northern Dynasty Minerals shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Taseko Mines beats Northern Dynasty Minerals on 6 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals

Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. engages in the exploration of mineral properties in the United States. Its principal mineral property is the Pebble Copper-Gold-Molybdenum-Silver-Rhenium project comprising 1,840 mineral claims that covers an area of approximately 274 square miles located in southwest Alaska, 17 miles from the villages of Iliamna and Newhalen, and approximately 200 miles southwest of the city of Anchorage. The company was formerly known as Northern Dynasty Explorations Ltd. and changed its name to Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. in October 1997. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Taseko Mines

Taseko Mines Limited, a mining company, acquires, develops, and operates mineral properties. It explores for copper, molybdenum, gold, niobium, and silver deposits. The company’s principal asset comprises 100% interest owned the Gibraltar mine located in British Columbia. It also holds interest in the Yellowhead copper project, the Aley niobium project, and the New Prosperity gold and copper project located in British Columbia; and the Florence copper project located in Arizona. Taseko Mines Limited was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.