FNV vs. RIO: Franco-Nevada vs. Rio Tinto Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Franco-Nevada (FNV) 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

Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though FNV is classified under Gold while RIO falls under Diversified Metals & Mining.

Franco-Nevada (FNV) 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 Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Profile Item	FNV	RIO
Name	Franco-Nevada Corporation	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	49.17 billion USD	136.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 7, 2007	June 28, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FNV

RIO

GSPC

Franco-Nevada (FNV) 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 Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
Total Return (1Y)	37.48%	30.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	30.93%	16.90%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	13.51%	14.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FNV

RIO

GSPC

Franco-Nevada (FNV) 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 Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	39.71%	30.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.28	0.63
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.12%	-35.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	716.56K	2.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FNV 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 Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.84	0.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.19	1.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 19.91% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for FNV.

FNV

Materials industry group

19.91%

Max: 52.88%
FNV: 19.91%
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%

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 64.23% 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.

FNV

Materials industry group

64.23%

FNV: 64.23%
Max: 38.66%
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%

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 76.98% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05% operates around its industry’s norm.

FNV

Materials industry group

76.98%

FNV: 76.98%
Max: 66.70%
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%

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
ROE (TTM)	19.91%	19.31%
ROA (TTM)	13.74%	8.11%
Net Margin (TTM)	64.23%	19.59%
Operating Margin (TTM)	76.98%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	92.09%	29.75%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 63.69% 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 FNV.

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 100.70% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at -13.97% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	63.69%	7.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.48%	1.24%
EPS Growth (YoY)	100.70%	-13.97%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.42%	-7.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 9.38 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

FNV

Materials industry group

9.38

FNV: 9.38
Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
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

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Rio Tinto (RIO) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32 against its industry range, while Franco-Nevada (FNV) reports no figure this period.

FNV

Materials industry group

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00
FNV: --

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

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

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): FNV does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; RIO is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	9.38	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.32
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.49	0.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 0.65% pays an industry-typical yield; Rio Tinto (RIO) at 5.59% 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.

FNV

Materials industry group

0.65%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
FNV: 0.65%
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%

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 21.44% 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.

FNV

Materials industry group

21.44%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
FNV: 21.44%
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%

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.65%	5.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	21.44%	54.46%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 11.35 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 33.33 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

FNV

Materials industry group

33.33

Max: 59.00
FNV: 33.33
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
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

Franco-Nevada (FNV) 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 2.20 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 21.37 clears its benchmark range — FNV looks notably rich on sales.

FNV

Materials industry group

21.37

FNV: 21.37
Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
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

Franco-Nevada (FNV) 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 Franco-Nevada (FNV) at 5.97 carries an above-peer premium to book — FNV is pricier on assets.

FNV

Materials industry group

5.97

Max: 6.59
FNV: 5.97
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

Franco-Nevada (FNV) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Franco-Nevada (FNV) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	FNV	RIO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	33.33	11.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	21.37	2.20
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.97	2.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.96%	2.64%