AEM vs. RIO: Agnico Eagle Mines vs. Rio Tinto Stock Comparison

September 14, 2026

How do Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO) 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

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AEM is classified under Gold while RIO falls under Diversified Metals & Mining.

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) trades as ordinary local shares, while Rio Tinto (RIO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Profile Item	AEM	RIO
Name	Agnico Eagle Mines Limited	Rio Tinto plc ADR
Country/Region	Canada	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Diversified Metals & Mining
Market Capitalization	103.67 billion USD	162.57 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	June 28, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AEM

RIO

GSPC

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO), 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 Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
Total Return (1Y)	39.18%	67.91%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	64.78%	23.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	31.29%	14.07%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AEM

RIO

GSPC

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO), 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 Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	48.26%	30.27%
Beta (5Y)	0.63	0.57
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-45.80%	-35.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.12M	2.54M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AEM and RIO 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 Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	2.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.03	3.18

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 22.97% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AEM.

AEM

Materials industry group

22.97%

Max: 58.68%
AEM: 22.97%
Q3: 19.97%
Median: 7.25%
Q1: -6.14%
Min: -41.32%

RIO

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 58.68%
Q3: 19.97%
RIO: 19.31%
Median: 7.25%
Q1: -6.14%
Min: -41.32%

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 40.44% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.59% also retains a top-quartile share.

AEM

Materials industry group

40.44%

AEM: 40.44%
Max: 38.18%
Q3: 15.31%
Median: 4.48%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -19.34%

RIO

Materials industry group

19.59%

Max: 38.18%
RIO: 19.59%
Q3: 15.31%
Median: 4.48%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -19.34%

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 58.11% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AEM

Materials industry group

58.11%

Max: 66.54%
AEM: 58.11%
Q3: 29.91%
Median: 12.48%
Q1: 1.85%
Min: -29.20%

RIO

Materials industry group

28.05%

Max: 66.54%
Q3: 29.91%
RIO: 28.05%
Median: 12.48%
Q1: 1.85%
Min: -29.20%

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
ROE (TTM)	22.97%	19.31%
ROA (TTM)	15.68%	8.11%
Net Margin (TTM)	40.44%	19.59%
Operating Margin (TTM)	58.11%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	74.51%	29.75%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 43.71% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 7.42% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AEM.

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 134.39% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at -13.97% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AEM.

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	43.71%	7.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	27.53%	1.24%
EPS Growth (YoY)	134.39%	-13.97%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	79.58%	-7.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 2.86 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for RIO.

AEM

Materials industry group

2.86

Max: 6.33
Q3: 3.46
AEM: 2.86
Median: 2.25
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

RIO

Materials industry group

1.42

Max: 6.33
Q3: 3.46
Median: 2.25
Q1: 1.45
RIO: 1.42
Min: 0.16

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 0.01 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.32 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

AEM

Materials industry group

0.01

Max: 2.03
Q3: 0.93
Median: 0.45
Q1: 0.13
AEM: 0.01
Min: 0.00

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

Max: 2.03
Q3: 0.93
Median: 0.45
RIO: 0.32
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.86	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.01	0.32
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.31	0.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 4.68% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 0.82% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, RIO the richer one.

AEM

Materials industry group

0.82%

Max: 4.74%
Q3: 1.90%
AEM: 0.82%
Median: 0.36%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RIO

Materials industry group

4.68%

Max: 4.74%
RIO: 4.68%
Q3: 1.90%
Median: 0.36%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 14.55% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 54.46% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AEM

Materials industry group

14.55%

Max: 84.09%
Q3: 34.59%
AEM: 14.55%
Median: 7.64%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RIO

Materials industry group

54.46%

Max: 84.09%
RIO: 54.46%
Q3: 34.59%
Median: 7.64%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.82%	4.68%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.55%	54.46%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 13.54 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 17.51 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for RIO, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AEM

Materials industry group

17.51

Max: 58.12
Q3: 32.25
Median: 20.96
AEM: 17.51
Q1: 14.60
Min: 5.82

RIO

Materials industry group

13.54

Max: 58.12
Q3: 32.25
Median: 20.96
Q1: 14.60
RIO: 13.54
Min: 5.82

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.63 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 7.14 sits in the pricier quartile — AEM costs more per dollar of sales.

AEM

Materials industry group

7.14

Max: 10.35
AEM: 7.14
Q3: 4.84
Median: 2.00
Q1: 0.71
Min: 0.00

RIO

Materials industry group

2.63

Max: 10.35
Q3: 4.84
RIO: 2.63
Median: 2.00
Q1: 0.71
Min: 0.00

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) at 3.62 and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.48 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AEM

Materials industry group

3.62

Max: 8.22
Q3: 4.17
AEM: 3.62
Median: 2.46
Q1: 1.44
Min: -0.34

RIO

Materials industry group

2.48

Max: 8.22
Q3: 4.17
RIO: 2.48
Median: 2.46
Q1: 1.44
Min: -0.34

Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AEM	RIO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	17.51	13.54
P/S Ratio (TTM)	7.14	2.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.62	2.48
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.13%	2.21%