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

June 25, 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	161.58 billion USD	143.37 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 28, 1990	January 5, 1996
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Performance

Cumulative Growth

RIO

SCCO

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Total Return (1Y)	87.18%	88.40%

Risk

Drawdown

RIO

SCCO

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.48%	50.25%
Beta (5Y)	0.58	1.13
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.65M	1.43M

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 46.34% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 16.40% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for SCCO.

RIO

Materials industry group

16.40%

Max: 51.93%
Q3: 17.55%
RIO: 16.40%
Median: 5.92%
Q1: -11.20%
Min: -52.04%

SCCO

Materials industry group

46.34%

Max: 51.93%
SCCO: 46.34%
Q3: 17.55%
Median: 5.92%
Q1: -11.20%
Min: -52.04%

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 17.29% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 34.13% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

RIO

Materials industry group

17.29%

Max: 35.99%
RIO: 17.29%
Q3: 14.87%
Median: 3.80%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -21.87%

SCCO

Materials industry group

34.13%

Max: 35.99%
SCCO: 34.13%
Q3: 14.87%
Median: 3.80%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -21.87%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 58.34% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Rio Tinto (RIO) at 25.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

RIO

Materials industry group

25.32%

Max: 66.92%
Q3: 27.27%
RIO: 25.32%
Median: 9.63%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -32.85%

SCCO

Materials industry group

58.34%

Max: 66.92%
SCCO: 58.34%
Q3: 27.27%
Median: 9.63%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -32.85%

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

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
ROE (TTM)	16.40%	46.34%
ROA (TTM)	7.86%	23.81%
Net Margin (TTM)	17.29%	34.13%
Operating Margin (TTM)	25.32%	58.34%
Gross Margin (TTM)	28.12%	62.71%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue 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

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

EPS Growth at a Glance

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

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.45 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 4.38 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

RIO

Materials industry group

1.45

Max: 6.31
Q3: 3.54
Median: 2.28
RIO: 1.45
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.12

SCCO

Materials industry group

4.38

Max: 6.31
SCCO: 4.38
Q3: 3.54
Median: 2.28
Q1: 1.43
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 0.35 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 0.62 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RIO

Materials industry group

0.35

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.92
Median: 0.44
RIO: 0.35
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

SCCO

Materials industry group

0.62

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.92
SCCO: 0.62
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 at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.45	4.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.35	0.62
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.71	0.23

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 4.02% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 1.85% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, RIO the richer one.

RIO

Materials industry group

4.02%

Max: 4.61%
RIO: 4.02%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SCCO

Materials industry group

1.85%

Max: 4.61%
Q3: 1.85%
SCCO: 1.85%
Median: 0.45%
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 61.31% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 56.33% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

RIO

Materials industry group

61.31%

Max: 90.00%
RIO: 61.31%
Q3: 38.50%
Median: 8.90%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SCCO

Materials industry group

56.33%

Max: 90.00%
SCCO: 56.33%
Q3: 38.50%
Median: 8.90%
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.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.02%	1.85%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	61.31%	56.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 16.34 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 29.08 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

RIO

Materials industry group

16.34

Max: 61.74
Q3: 33.85
Median: 21.67
RIO: 16.34
Q1: 14.86
Min: 4.56

SCCO

Materials industry group

29.08

Max: 61.74
Q3: 33.85
SCCO: 29.08
Median: 21.67
Q1: 14.86
Min: 4.56

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 2.80 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 9.85 sits in the pricier quartile — SCCO costs more per dollar of sales.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.80

Max: 9.97
Q3: 4.77
RIO: 2.80
Median: 2.01
Q1: 0.77
Min: 0.00

SCCO

Materials industry group

9.85

Max: 9.97
SCCO: 9.85
Q3: 4.77
Median: 2.01
Q1: 0.77
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 2.60 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Southern Copper (SCCO) at 12.16 prices above its benchmark range — SCCO looks rich relative to book.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.60

Max: 8.46
Q3: 4.32
RIO: 2.60
Median: 2.53
Q1: 1.43
Min: -0.38

SCCO

Materials industry group

12.16

SCCO: 12.16
Max: 8.46
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.53
Q1: 1.43
Min: -0.38

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

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	RIO	SCCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.34	29.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.80	9.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.60	12.16
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.16%	2.97%