NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB – Get Free Report) and Nexa Resources (NYSE:NEXA – Get Free Report) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for NioCorp Developments and Nexa Resources, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| NioCorp Developments | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Nexa Resources | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.67 |
NioCorp Developments presently has a consensus target price of $13.00, indicating a potential upside of 150.00%. Nexa Resources has a consensus target price of $6.50, indicating a potential upside of 40.09%. Given NioCorp Developments’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe NioCorp Developments is more favorable than Nexa Resources.
Earnings and Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| NioCorp Developments | N/A | N/A | $1.79 million | N/A | N/A |
| Nexa Resources | $3.03 billion | N/A | $49.10 million | ($0.26) | -17.85 |
Nexa Resources has higher revenue and earnings than NioCorp Developments.
Profitability
This table compares NioCorp Developments and Nexa Resources’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| NioCorp Developments | N/A | N/A | -21.62% |
| Nexa Resources | -1.13% | 3.45% | 1.23% |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
3.2% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by institutional investors. 20.0% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Risk & Volatility
NioCorp Developments has a beta of -0.24, suggesting that its stock price is 124% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Nexa Resources has a beta of 1.48, suggesting that its stock price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
NioCorp Developments beats Nexa Resources on 6 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 Nexa Resources
Nexa Resources S.A., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the zinc mining and smelting business. The company operates through two segments, Mining and Smelting. It produces zinc, zamac, zinc oxide, and zincal, as well as by-products, such as copper, lead, silver, gold, copper sulfate, sulfuric acid, copper cement, silver concentrate, and cadmium/sponge deposits. The company owns and operates six polymetallic mines, including three located in the Central Andes of Peru; two located in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil; and one located in the State of Mato Grosso in Brazil. It also owns and operates three zinc smelters comprising one located in Cajamarquilla in Peru; and two located in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil, which recovers and produces metallic zinc, zinc oxide, and by-products, such as sulfuric acid. The company also exports its products. Its products are used in civil construction, transportation, energy, agriculture, health, and consumer goods industries. The company was formerly known as VM Holding S.A. and changed its name to Nexa Resources S.A. in September 2017. The company was founded in 1956 and is based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. Nexa Resources S.A. operates as a subsidiary of Votorantim S.A.
Receive News & Ratings for NioCorp Developments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NioCorp Developments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
