Comparing i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) & AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU)

i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares i-80 Gold and AngloGold Ashanti”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
i-80 Gold	$52.94 million	5.98	-$65.20 million	($0.36)	-2.00
AngloGold Ashanti	$5.79 billion	2.20	$1.00 billion	$3.20	9.49

AngloGold Ashanti has higher revenue and earnings than i-80 Gold. i-80 Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AngloGold Ashanti, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

61.3% of i-80 Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.1% of AngloGold Ashanti shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

i-80 Gold has a beta of 1.29, meaning that its share price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AngloGold Ashanti has a beta of 0.96, meaning that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for i-80 Gold and AngloGold Ashanti, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
i-80 Gold	0	3	0	1	2.50
AngloGold Ashanti	1	1	4	0	2.50

i-80 Gold presently has a consensus price target of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 386.11%. AngloGold Ashanti has a consensus price target of $34.00, indicating a potential upside of 12.00%. Given i-80 Gold’s higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe i-80 Gold is more favorable than AngloGold Ashanti.

Profitability

This table compares i-80 Gold and AngloGold Ashanti’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
i-80 Gold	-231.43%	-21.18%	-12.67%
AngloGold Ashanti	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

AngloGold Ashanti beats i-80 Gold on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About i-80 Gold

i-80 Gold Corp. is a mining company, engages in the exploration, development and production of gold and silver mineral deposits principally in the United States. i-80 Gold Corp. is based in Reno, Nevada.

About AngloGold Ashanti

AngloGold Ashanti plc operates as a gold mining company in Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as produces silver and sulphuric acid as by-products. Its flagship property is a 100% owned Geita mine located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania. AngloGold Ashanti plc was incorporated in 1944 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.