Head to Head Review: Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB) versus Platinum Group Metals (NYSE:PLG)

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

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Taseko Mines and Platinum Group Metals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Taseko Mines	0	1	2	0	2.67
Platinum Group Metals	0	0	0	0	0.00

Taseko Mines presently has a consensus target price of $5.00, suggesting a potential upside of 57.73%. Given Taseko Mines’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Taseko Mines is more favorable than Platinum Group Metals.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Taseko Mines and Platinum Group Metals”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Taseko Mines	$578.65 million	1.73	$61.28 million	($0.06)	-52.83
Platinum Group Metals	N/A	N/A	-$4.61 million	($0.04)	-37.75

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

17.9% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.3% of Platinum Group Metals shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Platinum Group Metals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Taseko Mines and Platinum Group Metals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Taseko Mines	-2.09%	12.04%	2.89%
Platinum Group Metals	N/A	-10.13%	-9.69%

Risk and Volatility

Taseko Mines has a beta of 1.35, suggesting that its share price is 35% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Platinum Group Metals has a beta of 1.57, suggesting that its share price is 57% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Taseko Mines beats Platinum Group Metals on 9 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 Platinum Group Metals

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of platinum and palladium properties. It explores for palladium, platinum, gold, copper, nickel, and rhodium deposits. The company holds 50.02% interest in the Waterberg project located on the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa. It also develops next-generation battery technology using platinum and palladium. Platinum Group Metals Ltd. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.