Financial Analysis: MAC Copper (NYSE:MTAL) versus Hycroft Mining (NASDAQ:HYMC)

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

Insider and Institutional Ownership

87.5% of MAC Copper shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.4% of Hycroft Mining shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of MAC Copper shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Hycroft Mining shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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, Hycroft Mining has a beta of 2.36, indicating that its stock price is 136% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for MAC Copper and Hycroft Mining, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MAC Copper	0	4	0	0	2.00
Hycroft Mining	0	0	0	0	0.00

MAC Copper currently has a consensus price target of $12.63, suggesting a potential upside of 3.61%. Given MAC Copper’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe MAC Copper is more favorable than Hycroft Mining.

Profitability

This table compares MAC Copper and Hycroft Mining’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
Hycroft Mining	N/A	N/A	-34.76%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares MAC Copper and Hycroft Mining”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	$321.80 million	3.12	-$81.69 million	N/A	N/A
Hycroft Mining	$33.23 million	7.53	-$60.90 million	($1.99)	-3.21

Hycroft Mining has lower revenue, but higher earnings than MAC Copper.

Summary

MAC Copper beats Hycroft Mining on 6 of the 9 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 Hycroft Mining

Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a gold and silver development company in the United States. The company holds interests in the Hycroft mine that consists of 30 private parcels with patented claims comprising approximately 1,787 acres, and 3,247 unpatented mining claims that encompass approximately 62,298 acres located in the state of Nevada. Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation is based in Winnemucca, Nevada.