RIO vs. WPM: Rio Tinto vs. Wheaton Precious Metals Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though RIO is classified under Diversified Metals & Mining while WPM falls under Gold.

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Profile Item	RIO	WPM
Name	Rio Tinto plc ADR	Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	Canada
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Diversified Metals & Mining	Gold
Market Capitalization	136.19 billion USD	61.91 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 28, 1990	July 6, 2005
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RIO

WPM

GSPC

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
Total Return (1Y)	30.54%	45.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.90%	50.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.68%	29.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RIO

WPM

GSPC

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.72%	52.11%
Beta (5Y)	0.63	0.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.25%	-43.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.35M	2.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RIO and WPM 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.85	0.79
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.26	1.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 23.10% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WPM.

RIO

Materials industry group

19.31%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

23.10%

Max: 52.88%
WPM: 23.10%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 60.39% 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.

RIO

Materials industry group

19.59%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

60.39%

WPM: 60.39%
Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 66.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

RIO

Materials industry group

28.05%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

66.70%

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

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
ROE (TTM)	19.31%	23.10%
ROA (TTM)	8.11%	15.22%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.59%	60.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.05%	66.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.75%	86.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 80.18% 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 WPM.

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 177.85% 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 WPM.

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.42%	80.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.24%	29.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-13.97%	177.85%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-7.23%	29.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.42 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

RIO

Materials industry group

1.42

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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
WPM: 0.57
Min: 0.16

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.32 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.16 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.16

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

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	0.57
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.32	0.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.58	0.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57% 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.

RIO

Materials industry group

5.59%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
WPM: 0.57%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 16.29% 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.

RIO

Materials industry group

54.46%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

16.29%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
WPM: 16.29%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.59%	0.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	54.46%	16.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 11.35 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 29.63 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for RIO, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

RIO

Materials industry group

11.35

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

WPM

Materials industry group

29.63

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
WPM: 29.63
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 17.86 clears its benchmark range — WPM looks notably rich on sales.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.20

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

WPM

Materials industry group

17.86

WPM: 17.86
Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 6.17 carries an above-peer premium to book — WPM is pricier on assets.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.08

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

WPM

Materials industry group

6.17

Max: 6.59
WPM: 6.17
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	RIO	WPM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	11.35	29.63
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	17.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.08	6.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.64%	-5.11%