RIO vs. SCCO: Rio Tinto vs. Southern Copper Stock Comparison

August 10, 2026

How do Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO) 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

Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though RIO is classified under Diversified Metals & Mining while SCCO falls under Copper.

Southern Copper (SCCO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Profile Item	RIO	SCCO
Name	Rio Tinto Plc Sponsored ADR	Southern Copper Corporation
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Diversified Metals & Mining	Copper
Market Capitalization	164.48 billion USD	166.08 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 28, 1990	January 5, 1996
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RIO

SCCO

GSPC

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO), 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Total Return (1Y)	75.16%	116.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.83%	39.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.98%	31.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RIO

SCCO

GSPC

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO), 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.68%	51.14%
Beta (5Y)	0.60	1.14
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.25%	-43.07%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.73M	1.30M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RIO and SCCO 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	2.40	2.21
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	3.64	3.35

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.31% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 49.90% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

RIO

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 53.09%
RIO: 19.31%
Q3: 18.31%
Median: 6.54%
Q1: -7.36%
Min: -44.78%

SCCO

Materials industry group

49.90%

Max: 53.09%
SCCO: 49.90%
Q3: 18.31%
Median: 6.54%
Q1: -7.36%
Min: -44.78%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.59% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 35.87% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

RIO

Materials industry group

19.59%

Max: 35.87%
RIO: 19.59%
Q3: 14.51%
Median: 4.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.48%

SCCO

Materials industry group

35.87%

SCCO: 35.87%
Max: 35.87%
Q3: 14.51%
Median: 4.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.48%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 61.16% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

RIO

Materials industry group

28.05%

Max: 66.92%
RIO: 28.05%
Q3: 27.96%
Median: 11.83%
Q1: 0.58%
Min: -39.87%

SCCO

Materials industry group

61.16%

Max: 66.92%
SCCO: 61.16%
Q3: 27.96%
Median: 11.83%
Q1: 0.58%
Min: -39.87%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
ROE (TTM)	19.31%	49.90%
ROA (TTM)	8.11%	25.71%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.59%	35.87%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.05%	61.16%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.75%	64.50%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 7.42% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 17.38% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at -13.97% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 25.41% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.42%	17.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.24%	10.13%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-13.97%	25.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-7.23%	17.64%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 5.06 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.

RIO

Materials industry group

1.42

Max: 6.25
Q3: 3.38
Median: 2.21
Q1: 1.45
RIO: 1.42
Min: 0.12

SCCO

Materials industry group

5.06

Max: 6.25
SCCO: 5.06
Q3: 3.38
Median: 2.21
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.12

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.32 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 0.68 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

Max: 2.03
Q3: 0.90
Median: 0.44
RIO: 0.32
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

SCCO

Materials industry group

0.68

Max: 2.03
Q3: 0.90
SCCO: 0.68
Median: 0.44
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	5.06
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.32	0.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.58	0.13

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 1.85% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Rio Tinto (RIO) at 4.67% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

RIO

Materials industry group

4.67%

RIO: 4.67%
Max: 3.93%
Q3: 1.59%
Median: 0.12%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SCCO

Materials industry group

1.85%

Max: 3.93%
SCCO: 1.85%
Q3: 1.59%
Median: 0.12%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 54.46% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 54.16% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

RIO

Materials industry group

54.46%

Max: 87.71%
RIO: 54.46%
Q3: 35.53%
Median: 7.61%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SCCO

Materials industry group

54.16%

Max: 87.71%
SCCO: 54.16%
Q3: 35.53%
Median: 7.61%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.67%	1.85%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	54.46%	54.16%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 13.50 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 28.64 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for RIO, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

RIO

Materials industry group

13.50

Max: 61.94
Q3: 33.51
Median: 21.84
Q1: 13.83
RIO: 13.50
Min: 4.59

SCCO

Materials industry group

28.64

Max: 61.94
Q3: 33.51
SCCO: 28.64
Median: 21.84
Q1: 13.83
Min: 4.59

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.66 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 10.52 sits in the pricier quartile — SCCO costs more per dollar of sales.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.66

Max: 10.66
Q3: 4.75
RIO: 2.66
Median: 1.99
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

SCCO

Materials industry group

10.52

Max: 10.66
SCCO: 10.52
Q3: 4.75
Median: 1.99
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.51 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 13.39 prices above its benchmark range — SCCO looks rich relative to book.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.51

Max: 8.66
Q3: 4.38
Median: 2.57
RIO: 2.51
Q1: 1.46
Min: -0.29

SCCO

Materials industry group

13.39

SCCO: 13.39
Max: 8.66
Q3: 4.38
Median: 2.57
Q1: 1.46
Min: -0.29

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	13.50	28.64
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.66	10.52
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.51	13.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.19%	3.01%