Austin Gold (NYSE:AUST) and Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) Critical Analysis

Austin Gold (NYSE:AUST) and Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

62.1% of Austin Gold shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.7% of Kinross Gold shares are held by institutional investors. 70.7% of Austin Gold shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Kinross Gold shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Austin Gold and Kinross Gold”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Austin Gold	N/A	N/A	-$4.00 million	($0.24)	-5.75
Kinross Gold	$5.15 billion	3.54	$948.80 million	$0.77	19.22

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Austin Gold and Kinross Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Austin Gold	0	0	0	0	0.00
Kinross Gold	0	2	3	2	3.00

Kinross Gold has a consensus target price of $13.30, indicating a potential downside of 10.12%. Given Kinross Gold’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Kinross Gold is more favorable than Austin Gold.

Profitability

This table compares Austin Gold and Kinross Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Austin Gold	N/A	-37.85%	-36.54%
Kinross Gold	18.43%	12.65%	7.83%

Volatility & Risk

Austin Gold has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kinross Gold has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Kinross Gold beats Austin Gold on 13 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Austin Gold

Austin Gold Corp., a gold exploration company, focuses on the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral property interests in Nevada. The company holds interest in Kelly Creek Project located in the Kelly Creek Basin, in southeastern Humboldt County, Nevada; Fourmile Basin Project that comprises various unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 6410 acres located in Nye County; the Lone Mountain Project consisting of various unpatented lode mining and patented mining claims located near Lone Mountain in Elko County. It also holds interest in the Miller Project consisting various unpatented lode mining claims located in Elko County in Nevada. Austin Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2020 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Kinross Gold

Kinross Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold properties principally in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and Mauritania. The company operates the Fort Knox mine and the Manh Choh project in Alaska, as well as the Round Mountain and the Bald Mountain mines in Nevada, the United States; the Paracatu mine in Brazil; the La Coipa and the Lobo-Marte project in Chile; the Tasiast mine in Mauritania; and the Great Bear project in Canada. It is also involved in the extraction and processing of gold-containing ores; reclamation of gold mining properties; and production and sale of silver. Kinross Gold Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.