U.S. Gold (NASDAQ:USAU) vs. NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) Head-To-Head Analysis

U.S. Gold (NASDAQ:USAU) and NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and profitability.

Risk and Volatility

U.S. Gold has a beta of 1.3, suggesting that its share price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, NioCorp Developments has a beta of -0.52, suggesting that its share price is 152% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for U.S. Gold and NioCorp Developments, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
U.S. Gold	0	0	1	0	3.00
NioCorp Developments	0	0	1	0	3.00

U.S. Gold currently has a consensus target price of $14.50, indicating a potential upside of 228.05%. NioCorp Developments has a consensus target price of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 426.32%. Given NioCorp Developments’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe NioCorp Developments is more favorable than U.S. Gold.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares U.S. Gold and NioCorp Developments’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
U.S. Gold	N/A	N/A	-$7.61 million	($0.73)	-6.05
NioCorp Developments	N/A	N/A	-$40.08 million	($1.26)	-1.81

U.S. Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NioCorp Developments, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares U.S. Gold and NioCorp Developments’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
U.S. Gold	N/A	-40.73%	-31.42%
NioCorp Developments	N/A	N/A	-194.39%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

6.6% of U.S. Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 4.0% of NioCorp Developments shares are owned by institutional investors. 9.8% of U.S. Gold shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 18.7% of NioCorp Developments shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

U.S. Gold beats NioCorp Developments on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About U.S. Gold

U.S. Gold Corp. engages in the exploration and development of gold and precious metals in the United States. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company holds 100% interests in the CK Gold project, which consists of various mining leases and other mineral rights covering approximately 1,120 acres in Laramie County, Wyoming; the Keystone project that consists of 601 unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 20 square miles in Eureka County, Nevada; and the Challis Gold project, which consists of 77 unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 1,710 acres in Lemhi County, Idaho. It also has earn-in agreement to acquire a 50% ownership interest in the Maggie Creek project located in Eureka County, Nevada. The company was formerly known as Dataram Corporation and changed its name to U.S. Gold Corp. in June 2017. U.S. Gold Corp. is based in Elko, Nevada.

About NioCorp Developments

NioCorp Developments Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of mineral deposits in North America. It owns and develops the Elk Creek niobium/scandium/titanium project that owns one 226.43-acre parcel of land and associated mineral rights, and an additional 40 acres of mineral rights, as well as an optioned land package that covers an area of 1,396 acres located in Johnson County, southeast Nebraska. The company was formerly known as Quantum Rare Earth Developments Corp. and changed its name to NioCorp Developments Ltd. in March 2013. NioCorp Developments Ltd. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.