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AA vs. HMY: Alcoa vs. Harmony Gold Mining Stock Comparison

How do Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) 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 Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AA is classified under Aluminum while HMY falls under Gold.

Alcoa (AA) trades as ordinary local shares, while Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
Profile ItemAAHMY
NameAlcoa CorporationHarmony Gold Mining Company Limited - Depositary Receipt (Common Stock)
Country/RegionUnited StatesSouth Africa
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryMetals & MiningMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustryAluminumGold
Market Capitalization10.44 billion USD10.77 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962May 17, 1994
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AA
HMY
GSPC
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY), 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 Harmony Gold Mining (HMY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
Total Return (1Y)12.55%10.98%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)20.53%60.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.46%39.44%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AA
HMY
GSPC
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY), 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 Harmony Gold Mining (HMY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.37%63.56%
Beta (5Y)1.801.08
Max Drawdown (5Y)-75.46%-62.48%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.61M3.68M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AA and HMY 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 Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.160.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.230.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 20.58% and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 48.05% 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%

HMY

Materials industry group

48.05%

Max
52.88%
HMY
48.05%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 29.57% 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%

HMY

Materials industry group

29.57%

Max
38.66%
HMY
29.57%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 47.18% 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%

HMY

Materials industry group

47.18%

Max
66.70%
HMY
47.18%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
ROE (TTM)20.58%48.05%
ROA (TTM)7.52%25.06%
Net Margin (TTM)10.68%29.57%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.01%47.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)22.76%49.62%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Alcoa (AA) reports revenue growth of 7.87%, ranked against its industry; Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Alcoa (AA) reports EPS growth of 1,600.00%, ranked against its industry; Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
Revenue Growth (YoY)7.87%--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)1.01%26.28%
EPS Growth (YoY)1,600.00%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--81.32%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcoa (AA) at 2.31 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 0.84 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for HMY.

AA

Materials industry group

2.31

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

HMY

Materials industry group

0.84

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
HMY
0.84
Min
0.16
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 0.13 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Alcoa (AA) at 0.58 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

AA

Materials industry group

0.58

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

HMY

Materials industry group

0.13

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
HMY
0.13
Min
0.00
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.310.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.580.13
Net Debt / EBITDA0.140.02

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 1.04% pays an industry-typical yield; Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 75.74% 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%

HMY

Materials industry group

75.74%

HMY
75.74%
Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 6.96% and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 15.28% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AA

Materials industry group

6.96%

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

HMY

Materials industry group

15.28%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
HMY
15.28%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.04%75.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)6.96%15.28%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 6.88 and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 6.27 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

AA

Materials industry group

6.88

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

HMY

Materials industry group

6.27

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
HMY
6.27
Min
3.93
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 0.73 and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 0.11 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AA

Materials industry group

0.73

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

HMY

Materials industry group

0.11

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
HMY
0.11
Min
0.00
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Alcoa (AA) at 1.27 and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY) at 2.34 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AA

Materials industry group

1.27

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

HMY

Materials industry group

2.34

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
HMY
2.34
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Harmony Gold Mining (HMY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Harmony Gold Mining (HMY)
MetricAAHMY
P/E Ratio (TTM)6.886.27
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.730.11
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.272.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.80%91.49%