Critical Comparison: Excellon Resources (OTCMKTS:EXNRF) versus Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB)

Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB) and Excellon Resources (OTCMKTS:EXNRF) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

17.9% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of Excellon Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Taseko Mines and Excellon Resources, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Taseko Mines	0	0	2	0	3.00
Excellon Resources	0	0	0	0	N/A

Taseko Mines presently has a consensus price target of $2.83, indicating a potential upside of 17.57%. Given Taseko Mines’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Taseko Mines is more favorable than Excellon Resources.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Taseko Mines and Excellon Resources’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Taseko Mines	$388.86 million	1.80	$61.28 million	$0.24	10.04
Excellon Resources	$25.82 million	0.30	$6.53 million	$0.11	1.21

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

Volatility and Risk

Taseko Mines has a beta of 1.91, meaning that its share price is 91% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Excellon Resources has a beta of 1.06, meaning that its share price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Taseko Mines and Excellon Resources’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Taseko Mines	17.37%	11.98%	3.16%
Excellon Resources	N/A	-67.28%	14.39%

Summary

Taseko Mines beats Excellon Resources on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About Excellon Resources

Excellon Resources Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and advancement of mineral properties. It primarily explores for silver, lead, zinc, and gold deposits, as well as base metals. The company holds 100% interests in the Platosa property covering an area of approximately 11,000 hectares located in Durango State, Mexico; the Evolución property that covers an area of 31,280 hectares situated in the states of Durango and Zacatecas, Mexico; and the Silver City project totaling an area of 340 square kilometers in Saxony, Germany. It also holds 100% interests in the Kilgore project comprising 789 unpatented federal lode claims that covers an area of 6,788 hectares located in Clark County, eastern Idaho; and the Oakley project covering an area of 2,833 hectares in Oakley, Idaho. In addition, the company has an option to acquire the La Negra project located in Querétaro State, Mexico. Excellon Resources Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Toronto, Canada.