Golden Minerals (NYSE:AUMN) vs. Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) Head-To-Head Analysis

Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) and Golden Minerals (NYSE:AUMN) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Gold Fields and Golden Minerals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Gold Fields	N/A	N/A	N/A
Golden Minerals	N/A	-1,051.75%	-57.22%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Gold Fields and Golden Minerals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Gold Fields	0	4	2	0	2.33
Golden Minerals	0	0	1	0	3.00

Gold Fields currently has a consensus target price of $16.45, indicating a potential downside of 12.59%. Golden Minerals has a consensus target price of $1.50, indicating a potential upside of 1,720.39%. Given Golden Minerals’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Golden Minerals is more favorable than Gold Fields.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

24.8% of Gold Fields shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.4% of Golden Minerals shares are held by institutional investors. 36.8% of Gold Fields shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.0% of Golden Minerals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Gold Fields and Golden Minerals”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Gold Fields	$4.50 billion	3.74	$703.30 million	N/A	N/A
Golden Minerals	$12.00 million	0.10	-$9.23 million	($0.52)	-0.16

Gold Fields has higher revenue and earnings than Golden Minerals.

Volatility and Risk

Gold Fields has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its share price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Golden Minerals has a beta of 0.24, indicating that its share price is 76% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Gold Fields beats Golden Minerals on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Gold Fields

Gold Fields Limited operates as a gold producer with reserves and resources in Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Australia, and Peru. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.

About Golden Minerals

Golden Minerals Company, a precious metals exploration company explores for mineral properties in Argentina, Nevada, and Mexico. It explores for gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, and other minerals. The company was formerly known as Apex Silver Mines Limited and changed its name to Golden Minerals Company in March 2009. Golden Minerals Company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Golden, Colorado.