Head to Head Review: NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) and Augusta Gold (OTCMKTS:AUGG)

NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) and Augusta Gold (OTCMKTS:AUGG) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares NioCorp Developments and Augusta Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NioCorp Developments	N/A	-8,973.12%	-206.20%
Augusta Gold	N/A	-26.05%	-12.03%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares NioCorp Developments and Augusta Gold”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NioCorp Developments	N/A	N/A	-$11.44 million	($0.85)	-1.61
Augusta Gold	N/A	N/A	$6.66 million	($0.09)	-9.70

Augusta Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NioCorp Developments, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

4.0% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.4% of Augusta Gold shares are held by institutional investors. 18.7% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 45.8% of Augusta Gold shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

NioCorp Developments has a beta of -0.39, suggesting that its stock price is 139% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Augusta Gold has a beta of 0.98, suggesting that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for NioCorp Developments and Augusta Gold, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NioCorp Developments	0	0	1	0	3.00
Augusta Gold	0	0	0	0	0.00

NioCorp Developments currently has a consensus target price of $8.50, suggesting a potential upside of 520.44%. Given NioCorp Developments’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe NioCorp Developments is more favorable than Augusta Gold.

Summary

Augusta Gold beats NioCorp Developments on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NioCorp Developments

NioCorp Developments Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of mineral deposits in North America. It owns and develops the Elk Creek niobium/scandium/titanium project that owns one 226.43-acre parcel of land and associated mineral rights, and an additional 40 acres of mineral rights, as well as an optioned land package that covers an area of 1,396 acres located in Johnson County, southeast Nebraska. The company was formerly known as Quantum Rare Earth Developments Corp. and changed its name to NioCorp Developments Ltd. in March 2013. NioCorp Developments Ltd. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.

About Augusta Gold

Augusta Gold Corp. engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in the United States. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, and other metals. It holds interests in the Bullfrog gold project consists of 734 unpatented lode mining claims and mill site claims, and 87 patented mining claims located in the Bullfrog Hills of Nye County, Nevada; and the Reward Gold Project comprises 123 unpatented Bureau of Land Management (BLM) placer and lode mining claims, and six patented placer mining claims covering approximately 2,333 acres located in Nye County, Nevada. The company was formerly known as Bullfrog Gold Corp. and changed its name to Augusta Gold Corp. in January 2021. Augusta Gold Corp. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.