At the beginning of 2024, Benzinga noted four mining stocks to follow while evaluating tailwinds like green tech demand and persistent inflation. Although gold, as a benchmark, has had one of the best years on record, outperforming even the surging equities market, miners delivered mixed results.
Aura Minerals
Aura Minerals (OTCQX:ORAAF) is a gold and copper miner focused on Central and South America, with primary operations in Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras. During 2024, the company made notable asset acquisitions, obtaining rights to explore Pé Quente and Pezão projects to boost its reserves. The company also acquired Bluestone Resources, a junior miner with a promising high-grade gold deposit in Guatemala.
The company recently reported its second-best quarter by adjusted EBITDA and decreased all-in-sustained costs to $1,292/ounce. The stock was a strong performer, rising 85% year-to-date.
OceanaGold
OceanaGold (OTC:OCANF) is a mid-tier gold and copper producer with production in New Zealand, the Philippines, and the United States. It originally started as Macraes Mining Company, named after the foundation asset in New Zealand, which produced over 5 million ounces of gold since 1990. During 2024, the company focused on advancing the Didipio gold and copper project in the Philippines and providing initial mineral reserves for the proposed Wharekirauponga gold mine in New Zealand of 1.2 million ounces, with a projected IRR of 24% at a gold price of $2,400 per ounce.
Per the latest earnings, the company increased quarterly production from all sites, achieving a net profit of $61 million and boosting cash reserves. Since the beginning of the year, the stock rose 60.4%.
Alphamin Resources
Alphamin Resources (OTC:AFMJF) is a miner focused on producing tin, a critical mineral used for metal coating and the production of superconducting magnets. The company's principal project is the Bisie mine, the world's highest-grade tin mine.
In 2024, Alphamin achieved record quarterly tin production, in excess of 4,000 tons, staying on track to its production target of 20,000 tons annually. For the next growth step, the firm plans to connect its mining sites to have one producing unit feeding two processing facilities. Management estimates they could scale up output to 25,000 tons. The last drill campaign added 175,000 tons of reserves. Alphamin's stock returned 21.1% year-to-date.
B2Gold
B2Gold (AMEX:BTG) is a mid-tier mining company operating mines in emerging markets and exploration activities in more stable jurisdictions like Canada and Finland. The company's principal asset is the Fekola mine in Mali, with an annual production exceeding 500,000 ounces. Its other operating assets include Masabe in the Philippines and Otjikoto in Namibia.B2Gold had a volatile year, as escalating instability in Mali resulted in the off-site deaths of multiple employees and an increasingly complex situation with the ruling military junta. Furthermore, the higher-than-anticipated capital costs for a project in northern Canada have weighed on financials. Owing to these setbacks, B2Gold has lost 14.4% year-to-date.
As of December 20, VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:GDXJ) returned 16.67% year-to-date.
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