AU vs. RIO: AngloGold Ashanti vs. Rio Tinto Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AU is classified under Gold while RIO falls under Diversified Metals & Mining.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Profile Item	AU	RIO
Name	AngloGold Ashanti plc	Rio Tinto plc ADR
Country/Region	United States	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	47.04 billion USD	136.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 5, 1998	June 28, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RIO

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
Total Return (1Y)	47.97%	30.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	87.34%	16.90%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	42.76%	14.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RIO

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.11%	30.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.63
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.75%	-35.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.54M	2.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AU 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	0.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.07	1.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AU.

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

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

RIO

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
RIO: 19.31%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.59% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

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

RIO

Materials industry group

19.59%

Max: 38.66%
RIO: 19.59%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

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

RIO

Materials industry group

28.05%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
RIO: 28.05%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
ROE (TTM)	44.33%	19.31%
ROA (TTM)	24.39%	8.11%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.64%	19.59%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.36%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	54.84%	29.75%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% 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 AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% 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 AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	70.78%	7.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	30.02%	1.24%
EPS Growth (YoY)	122.32%	-13.97%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.95%	-7.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 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.

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

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

RIO

Materials industry group

1.42

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
RIO: 1.42
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.32 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

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

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
RIO: 0.32
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.55	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.16	0.32
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.17	0.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 5.59% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

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

RIO

Materials industry group

5.59%

RIO: 5.59%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 58.78% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 54.46% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

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

RIO

Materials industry group

54.46%

Max: 83.62%
RIO: 54.46%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.88%	5.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.78%	54.46%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 11.35 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 RIO, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

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

RIO

Materials industry group

11.35

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
RIO: 11.35
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.20 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

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

RIO

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
RIO: 2.20
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.08 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.

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

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

RIO

Materials industry group

2.08

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	AU	RIO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.09	11.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.91	2.20
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.01	2.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.61%	2.64%