AEM vs. FCX: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison
Updated onHere’s a clear look at AEM and FCX, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.
Company Overview
AEM’s market capitalization stands at 60.70 billion USD, while FCX’s is 65.78 billion USD, indicating their market valuations are broadly comparable.
FCX carries a higher beta at 1.63, indicating it’s more sensitive to market moves, while AEM (beta: 0.50) exhibits greater stability.
| Symbol | AEM | FCX |
|---|---|---|
| Company Name | Agnico Eagle Mines Limited | Freeport-McMoRan Inc. |
| Country | CA | US |
| Sector | Basic Materials | Basic Materials |
| Industry | Gold | Copper |
| CEO | Ammar Al-Joundi | Kathleen Lynne Quirk |
| Price | 120.06 USD | 45.8 USD |
| Market Cap | 60.70 billion USD | 65.78 billion USD |
| Beta | 0.50 | 1.63 |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| IPO Date | June 1, 1972 | July 10, 1995 |
| ADR | No | No |
Historical Performance
This chart compares the performance of AEM and FCX by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.
Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.
Profitability
Return on Equity
AEM
11.41%
Gold Industry
- Max
- 25.86%
- Q3
- 12.48%
- Median
- 8.15%
- Q1
- 2.34%
- Min
- -3.82%
AEM’s Return on Equity of 11.41% is on par with the norm for the Gold industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.
FCX
10.07%
Copper Industry
- Max
- 10.07%
- Q3
- 10.07%
- Median
- 6.05%
- Q1
- 2.83%
- Min
- 2.83%
FCX’s Return on Equity of 10.07% is on par with the norm for the Copper industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.
Return on Invested Capital
AEM
8.50%
Gold Industry
- Max
- 20.84%
- Q3
- 9.90%
- Median
- 5.11%
- Q1
- 1.36%
- Min
- -10.62%
AEM’s Return on Invested Capital of 8.50% is in line with the norm for the Gold industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.
FCX
7.95%
Copper Industry
- Max
- 7.95%
- Q3
- 7.95%
- Median
- 6.86%
- Q1
- 3.80%
- Min
- 3.36%
FCX’s Return on Invested Capital of 7.95% is in line with the norm for the Copper industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.
Net Profit Margin
AEM
26.48%
Gold Industry
- Max
- 26.48%
- Q3
- 21.01%
- Median
- 16.48%
- Q1
- 8.22%
- Min
- -6.63%
A Net Profit Margin of 26.48% places AEM in the upper quartile for the Gold industry, signifying strong profitability and more effective cost management than most of its peers.
FCX
7.11%
Copper Industry
- Max
- 7.45%
- Q3
- 7.45%
- Median
- 7.11%
- Q1
- 3.86%
- Min
- 3.86%
FCX’s Net Profit Margin of 7.11% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Copper industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.
Operating Profit Margin
AEM
41.82%
Gold Industry
- Max
- 67.43%
- Q3
- 40.39%
- Median
- 30.64%
- Q1
- 19.83%
- Min
- -9.84%
An Operating Profit Margin of 41.82% places AEM in the upper quartile for the Gold industry. This signals a strong ability to translate revenue into operating profit, outperforming most of its competitors in core business efficiency.
FCX
26.28%
Copper Industry
- Max
- 31.21%
- Q3
- 31.21%
- Median
- 26.28%
- Q1
- 22.29%
- Min
- 11.24%
FCX’s Operating Profit Margin of 26.28% is around the midpoint for the Copper industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.
Profitability at a Glance
| Symbol | AEM | FCX |
|---|---|---|
| Return on Equity (TTM) | 11.41% | 10.07% |
| Return on Assets (TTM) | 7.74% | 3.16% |
| Return on Invested Capital (TTM) | 8.50% | 7.95% |
| Net Profit Margin (TTM) | 26.48% | 7.11% |
| Operating Profit Margin (TTM) | 41.82% | 26.28% |
| Gross Profit Margin (TTM) | 48.06% | 28.83% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio
AEM
2.37
Gold Industry
- Max
- 4.98
- Q3
- 3.76
- Median
- 2.34
- Q1
- 1.51
- Min
- 0.52
AEM’s Current Ratio of 2.37 aligns with the median group of the Gold industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.
FCX
2.32
Copper Industry
- Max
- 3.71
- Q3
- 2.32
- Median
- 2.32
- Q1
- 1.08
- Min
- 1.05
FCX’s Current Ratio of 2.32 aligns with the median group of the Copper industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio
AEM
0.06
Gold Industry
- Max
- 0.67
- Q3
- 0.34
- Median
- 0.17
- Q1
- 0.06
- Min
- 0.00
AEM’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.06 is typical for the Gold industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.
FCX
0.53
Copper Industry
- Max
- 0.93
- Q3
- 0.93
- Median
- 0.83
- Q1
- 0.53
- Min
- 0.45
FCX’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.53 is typical for the Copper industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.
Interest Coverage Ratio
AEM
45.23
Gold Industry
- Max
- 45.23
- Q3
- 25.79
- Median
- 13.44
- Q1
- 2.91
- Min
- -6.26
AEM’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 45.23 is in the upper quartile for the Gold industry, signifying a strong and healthy capacity to meet its interest payments from operating profits.
FCX
21.78
Copper Industry
- Max
- 21.78
- Q3
- 21.78
- Median
- 17.07
- Q1
- 5.35
- Min
- 1.04
FCX’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 21.78 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Copper industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.
Financial Strength at a Glance
| Symbol | AEM | FCX |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (TTM) | 2.37 | 2.32 |
| Quick Ratio (TTM) | 1.20 | 1.13 |
| Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM) | 0.06 | 0.53 |
| Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM) | 0.04 | 0.17 |
| Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM) | 0.03 | 0.51 |
| Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) | 45.23 | 21.78 |
Growth
The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for AEM and FCX. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.
Revenue Growth
Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth
Free Cash Flow Growth
Dividend
Dividend Yield
AEM
1.33%
Gold Industry
- Max
- 3.65%
- Q3
- 1.37%
- Median
- 0.47%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
AEM’s Dividend Yield of 1.33% is consistent with its peers in the Gold industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.
FCX
1.31%
Copper Industry
- Max
- 2.59%
- Q3
- 1.37%
- Median
- 0.14%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
FCX’s Dividend Yield of 1.31% is consistent with its peers in the Copper industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.
Dividend Payout Ratio
AEM
29.17%
Gold Industry
- Max
- 110.70%
- Q3
- 42.09%
- Median
- 15.45%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
AEM’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 29.17% is within the typical range for the Gold industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.
FCX
48.93%
Copper Industry
- Max
- 48.93%
- Q3
- 43.83%
- Median
- 3.69%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
FCX’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 48.93% is in the upper quartile for the Copper industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.
Dividend at a Glance
| Symbol | AEM | FCX |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 1.33% | 1.31% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 29.17% | 48.93% |
Valuation
Price-to-Earnings Ratio
AEM
25.48
Gold Industry
- Max
- 64.00
- Q3
- 46.06
- Median
- 29.03
- Q1
- 16.74
- Min
- 1.00
AEM’s P/E Ratio of 25.48 is within the middle range for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.
FCX
37.41
Copper Industry
- Max
- 86.02
- Q3
- 49.93
- Median
- 31.39
- Q1
- 25.88
- Min
- 22.65
FCX’s P/E Ratio of 37.41 is within the middle range for the Copper industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.
Forward P/E to Growth Ratio
AEM
-3.79
Gold Industry
- Max
- 14.01
- Q3
- 6.52
- Median
- 3.33
- Q1
- 0.82
- Min
- 0.05
The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Gold industry.
FCX
-0.37
Copper Industry
- Max
- 4.16
- Q3
- 3.84
- Median
- 3.53
- Q1
- 3.22
- Min
- 2.90
The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Copper industry.
Price-to-Sales Ratio
AEM
6.79
Gold Industry
- Max
- 15.12
- Q3
- 7.63
- Median
- 3.25
- Q1
- 2.30
- Min
- 0.79
AEM’s P/S Ratio of 6.79 aligns with the market consensus for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.
FCX
2.65
Copper Industry
- Max
- 3.56
- Q3
- 3.56
- Median
- 2.53
- Q1
- 2.19
- Min
- 2.01
FCX’s P/S Ratio of 2.65 aligns with the market consensus for the Copper industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.
Price-to-Book Ratio
AEM
2.79
Gold Industry
- Max
- 6.10
- Q3
- 3.60
- Median
- 2.02
- Q1
- 1.35
- Min
- 0.26
AEM’s P/B Ratio of 2.79 is within the conventional range for the Gold industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.
FCX
3.74
Copper Industry
- Max
- 3.58
- Q3
- 3.58
- Median
- 2.44
- Q1
- 2.42
- Min
- 1.57
At 3.74, FCX’s P/B Ratio is at an extreme premium to the Copper industry. This signifies that the market’s valuation is heavily reliant on future potential rather than its current net asset value, which can be a high-risk proposition.
Valuation at a Glance
| Symbol | AEM | FCX |
|---|---|---|
| Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM) | 25.48 | 37.41 |
| Forward PEG Ratio (TTM) | -3.79 | -0.37 |
| Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM) | 6.79 | 2.65 |
| Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM) | 2.79 | 3.74 |
| Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM) | 26.10 | 41.21 |
| EV-to-EBITDA (TTM) | 11.76 | 7.87 |
| EV-to-Sales (TTM) | 6.80 | 2.83 |