AA vs. AU: Alcoa vs. AngloGold Ashanti Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AA is classified under Aluminum while AU falls under Gold.

Company profile comparison for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Profile Item	AA	AU
Name	Alcoa Corporation	AngloGold Ashanti plc
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Aluminum	Gold
Market Capitalization	10.44 billion USD	47.04 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	August 5, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
Total Return (1Y)	12.55%	47.97%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.53%	87.34%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.46%	42.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Alcoa (AA) has an aggressive beta of 1.80, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) is defensive at 0.67 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.37%	60.11%
Beta (5Y)	1.80	0.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-75.46%	-51.75%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.61M	2.54M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AA and AU are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.16	0.73
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.23	1.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 20.58% and AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

AA

Materials industry group

20.58%

Max: 52.88%
AA: 20.58%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

Max: 52.88%
AU: 44.33%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Alcoa (AA) at 10.68%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AA

Materials industry group

10.68%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
AA: 10.68%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

Max: 38.66%
AU: 32.64%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 45.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Alcoa (AA) at 16.01%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AA

Materials industry group

16.01%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
AA: 16.01%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

Max: 66.70%
AU: 45.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
ROE (TTM)	20.58%	44.33%
ROA (TTM)	7.52%	24.39%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.68%	32.64%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.01%	45.36%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.76%	54.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Alcoa (AA) at 7.87% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AU.

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both companies show strong earnings momentum, but Alcoa (AA) at 1,600.00% is the standout with EPS growth above its industry range; AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% also sits in the top quartile.

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.87%	70.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.01%	30.02%
EPS Growth (YoY)	1,600.00%	122.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	93.95%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 2.31 and AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AA

Materials industry group

2.31

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AA: 2.31
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AU: 2.55
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 0.58 and AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AA

Materials industry group

0.58

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
AA: 0.58
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
AU: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.31	2.55
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.58	0.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.14	-0.17

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 1.04% pays an industry-typical yield; AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

AA

Materials industry group

1.04%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
AA: 1.04%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

AU: 4.88%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 6.96% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 58.78% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AA

Materials industry group

6.96%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
AA: 6.96%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

Max: 83.62%
AU: 58.78%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.04%	4.88%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	6.96%	58.78%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 6.88 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 12.09 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for AA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AA

Materials industry group

6.88

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
AA: 6.88
Min: 3.93

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
AU: 12.09
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 0.73 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 prices around its industry’s middle — AA costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AA

Materials industry group

0.73

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
AA: 0.73
Min: 0.00

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
AU: 3.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Alcoa (AA) at 1.27 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 5.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AU is pricier on assets.

AA

Materials industry group

1.27

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
AA: 1.27
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

Max: 6.59
AU: 5.01
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Alcoa (AA) vs. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcoa (AA) and AngloGold Ashanti (AU)
Metric	AA	AU
P/E Ratio (TTM)	6.88	12.09
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.73	3.91
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.27	5.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.80%	7.61%