Comparing MAC Copper (NYSE:MTAL) and McEwen (NYSE:MUX)

MAC Copper (NYSE:MTAL) and McEwen (NYSE:MUX) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, dividends and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

87.5% of MAC Copper shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 17.0% of McEwen shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of MAC Copper shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 16.1% of McEwen shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares MAC Copper and McEwen’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MAC Copper	N/A	N/A	N/A
McEwen	-8.05%	-2.76%	-1.94%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares MAC Copper and McEwen”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MAC Copper	$340.74 million	2.95	-$81.69 million	N/A	N/A
McEwen	$168.17 million	4.44	-$43.69 million	($0.25)	-55.24

McEwen has lower revenue, but higher earnings than MAC Copper.

Volatility and Risk

MAC Copper has a beta of 0.37, indicating that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, McEwen has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for MAC Copper and McEwen, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MAC Copper	0	4	0	0	2.00
McEwen	0	0	4	1	3.20

MAC Copper presently has a consensus target price of $12.63, suggesting a potential upside of 3.48%. McEwen has a consensus target price of $14.83, suggesting a potential upside of 7.41%. Given McEwen’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe McEwen is more favorable than MAC Copper.

Summary

McEwen beats MAC Copper on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MAC Copper

Metals Acquisition Limited focuses on mining and production of copper and silver. It operates the CSA copper mine in Cobar, Australia. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is headquartered in Saint Helier, Jersey.

About McEwen

McEwen Mining Inc. engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of gold and silver. It also explores for copper deposits. The company owns 100% interests in the El Gallo and Fenix projects located in Mexico; and the Black Fox Mine and Stock Mill, Grey Fox, and Froome and Tamarack properties in Canada. It also owns interests in the Fuller, Davidson-Tisdale, Buffalo Ankerite, and Paymaster exploration properties located in Canada; and a 49% interest in the San José mine located in Argentina. In addition, the company owns 100% interests in the Gold Bar and Tonkin properties located in Eureka County, Nevada; and interests in the Los Azules copper project located in the cordilleran region in the province of San Juan, Argentina. The company was formerly known as US Gold Corporation and changed its name to McEwen Mining Inc. in January 2012. McEwen Mining Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.