Reviewing Austin Gold (NYSE:AUST) & B2Gold (NYSE:BTG)

B2Gold (NYSE:BTG) and Austin Gold (NYSE:AUST) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares B2Gold and Austin Gold”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
B2Gold	$1.93 billion	1.91	$10.10 million	($0.56)	-5.04
Austin Gold	N/A	N/A	-$4.00 million	($0.31)	-6.16

B2Gold has higher revenue and earnings than Austin Gold. Austin Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than B2Gold, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

B2Gold has a beta of 1.08, indicating that its stock price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Austin Gold has a beta of 0.68, indicating that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

61.4% of B2Gold shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.1% of Austin Gold shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of B2Gold shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 70.7% of Austin Gold shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares B2Gold and Austin Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
B2Gold	-38.42%	7.53%	5.56%
Austin Gold	N/A	-37.85%	-36.54%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for B2Gold and Austin Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
B2Gold	0	5	1	0	2.17
Austin Gold	0	0	0	0	0.00

B2Gold presently has a consensus target price of $4.12, suggesting a potential upside of 45.98%. Given B2Gold’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe B2Gold is more favorable than Austin Gold.

Summary

B2Gold beats Austin Gold on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About B2Gold

B2Gold Corp. operates as a gold producer company. It operates the Fekola Mine in Mali, the Masbate Mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto Mine in Namibia. The company also has an 100% interest in the Gramalote gold project in Colombia; 24% interest in the Calibre Mining Corp.; and approximately 19% interest in BeMetals Corp. In addition, it has a portfolio of other evaluation and exploration assets in Mali and Finland. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Austin Gold

Austin Gold Corp., a gold exploration company, focuses on the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral property interests in Nevada. The company holds interest in Kelly Creek Project located in the Kelly Creek Basin, in southeastern Humboldt County, Nevada; Fourmile Basin Project that comprises various unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 6410 acres located in Nye County; the Lone Mountain Project consisting of various unpatented lode mining and patented mining claims located near Lone Mountain in Elko County. It also holds interest in the Miller Project consisting various unpatented lode mining claims located in Elko County in Nevada. Austin Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2020 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.