i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) versus Santacruz Silver Mining (NASDAQ:SCZM) Financial Survey

Santacruz Silver Mining (NASDAQ:SCZM) and i-80 Gold (NYSE:IAUX) are both small-cap materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Santacruz Silver Mining and i-80 Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Santacruz Silver Mining	9.97%	21.55%	9.49%
i-80 Gold	-231.43%	-21.18%	-12.67%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Santacruz Silver Mining and i-80 Gold”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Santacruz Silver Mining	$326.38 million	2.16	$42.22 million	$0.32	23.74
i-80 Gold	$130.05 million	9.17	-$65.20 million	($0.30)	-4.58

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

Insider & Institutional Ownership

61.3% of i-80 Gold shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of i-80 Gold shares are held by 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.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Santacruz Silver Mining and i-80 Gold, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Santacruz Silver Mining	0	2	1	0	2.33
i-80 Gold	0	0	1	0	3.00

Santacruz Silver Mining presently has a consensus target price of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 31.63%. i-80 Gold has a consensus target price of $2.75, indicating a potential upside of 100.00%. Given i-80 Gold’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe i-80 Gold is more favorable than Santacruz Silver Mining.

Summary

Santacruz Silver Mining beats i-80 Gold on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Santacruz Silver Mining

Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of mineral properties in Mexico. The company primarily explores for silver, as well as for gold, zinc, lead, and copper deposits. It primarily holds a 100% interest in the Rosario project located in the municipality of Charcas in the state of San Luis Potosi; and Veta Grande project that include three concession groups, which consists of 184 mining concessions covering an area of 8,944 hectares in the Zacatecas Mining District, Mexico. The company was formerly known as Forte Resources Inc. and changed its name to Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. in April 2012. Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. Was incorporated in 2011 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

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.