Contango Ore Valuation Multiples

BHP is a global diversified miner mainly supplying iron ore and copper. The merger of BHP Limited and Billiton PLC created the present-day BHP Group. The dual-listed structure from the 2001 BHP and Billiton merger was collapsed in 2022. Major assets include Pilbara iron ore and Escondida copper. Onshore US oil and gas assets were sold in 2018, and the remaining petroleum assets were spun off and merged with Woodside in 2022, with BHP vesting the Woodside shares it received to BHP shareholders. It purchased copper miner Oz Minerals in fiscal 2023 and half of the Vicuña copper joint venture in fiscal 2025. It is entering the potash market through the development of its Jansen project in Canada. However, due to low prices, BHP placed its nickel business on care and maintenance in 2024.

Rio Tinto is a global diversified miner. Iron ore is its major commodity, with lesser contributions from copper and aluminum. Lithium, diamonds, gold, and industrial minerals are more minor contributors. The 1995 merger of RTZ and CRA, via a dual-listed structure, created the present-day company. The two operate as a single business entity, with shareholders in each company having equivalent economic and voting rights. Major assets included the Pilbara iron ore operations, a 30% stake in the Escondida copper mine, 66%-ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, the Weipa and Gove bauxite mines in Australia, and six hydro-powered aluminum smelters in Canada.

Southern Copper Corp is an integrated producer of copper and other minerals and operates the mining, smelting, and refining facilities in Peru and Mexico. Its production includes copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver. The company operates through the following segments: Peruvian operations, Mexican open-pit operations, and Mexican underground mining operations. It generates the majority of its revenue from the sale of copper and the rest from the sale of non-copper products, such as molybdenum, silver, zinc, lead, and gold. The company's geographical segments are The Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Rio Tinto is a global diversified miner. Iron ore is its major commodity, with lesser contributions from copper and aluminum. Lithium, diamonds, gold, and industrial minerals are more minor contributors. The 1995 merger of RTZ and CRA, via a dual-listed structure, created the present-day company. The two operate as a single business entity, with shareholders in each company having equivalent economic and voting rights. Major assets included the Pilbara iron ore operations, a 30% stake in the Escondida copper mine, 66%-ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, the Weipa and Gove bauxite mines in Australia, and six hydro-powered aluminum smelters in Canada.

Newmont is the world's largest gold miner. It bought Goldcorp in 2019, combined its Nevada mines in a joint venture with competitor Barrick later that year, and also purchased competitor Newcrest in November 2023. Its portfolio includes 11 mines and interests in two joint ventures in the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. The company is expected to sell roughly 5.6 million ounces of gold in 2025 from its core mines after selling six higher-cost, smaller mines following the Newcrest acquisition. Newmont also produces material amounts of copper, silver, zinc, and lead as byproducts. It had about two decades of gold reserves, along with significant byproduct reserves at the end of December 2024.

Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd is focusing on the exploration and development of gold and copper and other metal mineral resources. The company's operating segment includes mining products segment; refined products segment; trading; and others. It generates maximum revenue from the Refined products segment. The products of refined products segment are refined copper, refined, processed gold and silver, refined zinc bullion, and sulphuric acid. Geographically, the majority is derived from Mainland China.

Grupo Mexico SAB de CV is a holding company that operates in the mining-metallurgic industry, the exploration, exploitation, and benefit of metallic and non-metallic ores, multimodal freight railroad service, and infrastructure development. The majority of the group's revenue is generated from mining.

Freeport-McMoRan owns stakes in 10 copper mines, led by its 49% ownership of the Grasberg copper and gold operations in Indonesia, 55% of the Cerro Verde mine in Peru, and 72% of Morenci in Arizona. It sold around 1.1 million metric tons of copper (its share) in 2025, making it one of the world’s largest copper miners by volume. It also sold about 530,000 ounces of gold, mostly from Grasberg, and 74 million pounds of molybdenum. It had about 25 years of copper reserves at the end of December 2025. We expect it to sell about 1.3 million metric tons of copper and 610,000 ounces of gold midcycle in 2030.

Agnico Eagle is a gold miner with mines in Canada, Mexico, Finland, and Australia. Agnico operated just one mine, LaRonde, as recently as 2008 before bringing its other mines online in rapid succession in the following years. It merged with Kirkland Lake Gold in 2022, acquiring the Detour Lake and Macassa mines in Canada along with the high-grade, low-cost Fosterville mine in Australia. It sold around 3.4 million gold ounces in 2025 and had about 15 years of gold reserves at end 2025. Agnico Eagle is focused on increasing gold production in lower-risk jurisdictions and bought the remaining 50% of its Canadian Malartic mine along with the Wasamac project and other assets from Yamana Gold in 2023.

Glencore is one of the world’s largest commodities traders, active in markets for metals and minerals, and energy products. Its marketing business provides sourcing, logistics, transportation, storage, and financing services to commodity producers and consumers around the globe. Its mining or industrials business produces thermal coal, coking coal, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and ferroalloys. Unlike other major miners who are generally reducing their exposure to coal, it plans to produce thermal coal until its mines exhaust, arguing that it is better for listed, western companies to own these assets and then rehabilitate them consistent with western standards. We agree. It also expanded its coking coal exposure via the purchase of 77% of Teck's metallurgical coal business in July 2024.

Howmet Aerospace Inc offers engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. The company's products and solutions include investment castings for jet engines and industrial gas turbines; seamless rolled rings for jet engines; fastening systems for aerospace, industrial and commercial transportation applications; forged jet engine components (e.g., jet engine disks); machined and forged aircraft parts; and forged aluminum commercial vehicle wheels, all of which are sold directly to customers or through distributors. It has four reportable segments: Engine Products, which derives key revenue, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels. Geographically, the company derives maximum revenue from the USA, followed by France, Japan, Germany, and other markets.

Saudi Arabian Mining Co, along with its subsidiaries, is involved in the development of mineral resources in Saudi Arabia. Its activities include the mining of gold, phosphate rock, bauxite, low-grade bauxite, kaolin, and magnesite. It carries out its mining activities at Mahd Ad-Dahab, Bulghah, Al-Amar, Sukhaybarat, As Suq, Ad Duwayhi, Al-Jalamid, Al-Khabra, Az Zabirah, Al-Ghazallah, and Al-Ba'itha mines. It operates through various segments such as phosphate, aluminum, precious & Base Metals and New Minerals, and All other. Its geographical segments are Europe, Spain, and the Indian Subcontinent.

Nucor Corp manufactures steel and steel products. The company's reportable segments are steel mills, steel products, and raw materials. The majority of its revenue is derived from the steel mills segment, which is engaged in producing sheet steel (hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized), plate steel, structural steel (wide-flange beams, beam blanks, H-piling, and sheet piling), and bar steel products. Nucor manufactures steel principally from scrap steel and scrap steel substitutes using electric arc furnaces (EAFs), along with continuous casting and automated rolling mills. The steel mills segment sells its products mainly to steel service centers, fabricators, and manufacturers located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp is a precious metal streaming company. Its reportable segment includes: Gold, Silver, Palladium, Platinum, Cobalt, and Other. It generates its revenue from the sale of precious metals (gold, silver and palladium) and cobalt.

Previously one of the more diversified major miners, in May 2024 Anglo American announced that it will restructure to focus on copper, iron ore, and crop nutrients, while selling or spinning off its other businesses. It sold out of platinum group metals in September 2025, and will likely sell or demerge and spin off its majority-owned De Beers diamonds business, in most years the world's largest supplier and marketer of rough gem diamonds by value. It is again trying to sell its remaining metallurgical coal mines after Peabody pulled out of a deal to buy them. Anglo also plans to move back into the crop nutrients business via its Woodsmith polyhalite project in the UK. In September 2025, it also agreed to merge with Teck, with the deal likely to complete in late 2026 or early 2027.

Vale is a large global miner and the world’s largest producer of iron ore and pellets. In recent years the company has sold noncore assets such as its fertilizer, coal, and steel operations to concentrate on iron ore, nickel, and copper. Earnings are dominated by its iron ore business. The base metals division is much smaller, consisting of nickel mines and smelters along with copper mines producing copper in concentrate. In 2024, Vale sold a minority 10% stake in its base metals business, likely the first step in separating base metals and iron ore.

ArcelorMittal SA is involved in the steel industry. The company's operating segments include North America, Brazil, Europe, India and JVs, Sustainable Solutions, Mining and Other . It generates maximum revenue from the Europe segment. Europe segment produces hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, coated products, tinplate, plate, and slab. These products are sold to customers in the automotive, general, and packaging sectors as well as also produce long products consisting of sections, wire rods, rebar, billets, blooms and wire drawing, and tubular products. Geographically, it derives a majority of its revenue from United States.

Franco-Nevada Corp is a precious-metals-focused royalty and investment company. The company owns a diversified portfolio of precious metals and royalty streams, which is actively managed to generate the bulk of its revenue from gold, silver, and platinum. The company does not operate mines, develop projects, or conduct exploration. The company's short-term financial performance is linked to the price of commodities and the amount of production from its portfolio of producing assets. Its long-term performance is affected by the availability of exploration and development capital. The company holds a portfolio of assets, diversified by commodity, revenue type, and stage of a project.

Anglogold Ashanti PLC is one of the gold miners. The company also produces silver and sulphuric acid as by-products. Its operating divisions are Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The firm generates a majority of its revenue from the Africa region which includes its operations of the Kibali, Iduapriem, Obuasi, Siguiri, and Geita mines.

Zijin Gold International Co Ltd is an international gold mining and development company, principally engaged in the exploration, mining, processing, smelting, and sale of gold. Its principal products include gold bullion, gold dore, and gold concentrates, with key operations located outside Mainland China. The company holds interests in several gold mines across key mineralisation belts in South America, Oceania, Central Asia, and Africa, such as the Taldybulak Levoberezhny Gold Mine in Kyrgyzstan, Raygorodok Gold Mine in Kazakhstan, Jilau and Taror Gold Mines in Tajikistan, Porgera Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea, and Norton Gold Fields in Australia, among others. Geographically, it derives maximum revenue from Colombia, followed by Suriname, Australia, Tajikistan, and other countries.

CMOC Group Ltd is engaged in the mining and processing smelting, deep processing, trade, research and development of molybdenum, tungsten, copper, gold, and other precious and base metals. The company has both upstream and downstream operations including molybdenum mining, processing, roasting, molybdenum chemical products, and molybdenum metal processing. The company has operating segments, namely Molybdenum Tungsten related products, Niobium and Phosphorus related products, Copper and Cobalt related products, metal trading and others. It derives a majority of its revenue from China.

Antofagasta PLC is a Chilean copper mining company. The company operates four copper mines in Chile, two of which produce volumes of by-products. The company also has a portfolio of growth opportunities located mainly in Chile. In addition to mining, the company has a transport division providing rail and road cargo services in northern Chile to mining customers. Geographically, the company's operations are located in the Antofagasta Region of northern Chile except for its flagship operation, Los Pelambres, which is in the Coquimbo Region of central Chile. The operating business segments are Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya, Zaldivar, Exploration and evaluation, Corporate and other items, and Transport division. The Los Pelambres segment drives maximum revenue.

Shaanxi Coal Industry Co Ltd is a China-based company, principally engaged in the mining, dressing by washing, transportation, and sales of coal. The company's coal products are mainly applied in power, chemical engineering, and metallurgy, among others. The company distributes its products mainly within domestic markets.

Steel Dynamics Inc operates as a domestic steel producer and metal recycler in the United States. The company's product portfolio comprises hot rolled sheet, hot rolled plate, painted sheet products, cold rolled sheet, and others. Its reportable segments are steel operations, metals recycling operations, steel fabrication operations, and aluminum operations. Maximum revenue is generated from its steel operations segment, which consists of manufacturing various steel products and numerous coating operations. Its primary sources of revenue are currently from the manufacture and sale of steel products, the processing and sale of recycled ferrous and nonferrous metals, and the fabrication and sale of steel joists and deck products.

Gold Fields Ltd is a producer of gold and is a holder of gold reserves and resources in South Africa, Ghana, Australia and Peru. In Peru, the company also produces copper. The company is involved in underground and surface gold and surface copper mining and silver and related activities, including exploration, extraction, processing and smelting. It conducts underground and surface mining operations at St. Ives, underground-only operations at Agnew, Granny Smith and South Deep and surface-only open pit mining at Damang, Tarkwa and Cerro Corona. The company's revenues are derived from the sale of gold that it produces.

Fortescue is an Australia-based iron ore miner. It has grown from obscurity at the start of 2008 to become the world's fourth-largest producer. Growth was fueled by debt, now repaid. Expansion from 55 million metric tons in fiscal 2012 to about 200 million metric tons in 2026 means Fortescue supplies around 10% of global seaborne iron ore. Further expansion to about 210 million metric tons is likely once its 22 million metric ton Iron Bridge magnetite mine ramps up, likely in fiscal 2030. However, with longer-term demand likely to decline as China's economy matures, its future margins are likely to be below historical averages. More recently, Fortescue diversified into copper and green energy. It has big ambitions here, but its efforts are at an early stage.

JSW Steel Ltd is an India-based company that is engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling steel products. Its steel products include semis, hot-rolled steel, cold-rolled steel, galvanized steel, color-coated steel, and long products. Its flat steel products (including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products), which account for the majority of the company's steel volume, are used in Indian automotive, construction, infrastructure, engineering, and consumer durable industries. Its long products are used in the Indian construction, infrastructure, and automotive industries. The company generates the majority of its revenue from the Indian domestic market.

Teck is a base metals miner with copper and zinc operations in Canada, the United States, Chile, and Peru. After selling its metallurgical coal business, copper is now its major commodity by EBITDA contribution, followed by zinc. Teck is a top-three zinc miner. Its major new copper mine in Chile at the majority-owned Quebrada Blanca 2, in partnership with Sumitomo, will drive an increase in Teck’s attributable copper production by roughly 80%. Along with a number of additional copper growth options, Teck’s strategy is to rebalance its portfolio to low-carbon metals such as copper. It sold its oil sands business in early 2023 and its coal business in mid-2024. In September 2025, it agreed to merge with Anglo American.

Kinross Gold is a Canada-based gold producer, producing roughly 2 million gold equivalent ounces in 2025. The company had about a decade of gold reserves at the end of 2025. It operates mines in the Americas and West Africa after selling its low-cost Russian operations in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Kinross has historically used acquisitions to fuel expansion into new regions and production growth. In 2022, Kinross purchased the Great Bear project in Canada. If developed as we think likely, it could produce an average of more than 500,000 ounces of gold per year for at least a decade, with its unit cash costs likely in the first quartile of the industry cost curve. Though Great Bear's production is likely to be replacement ounces for falling volumes at other mines.

Shandong Hongqiao Aluminum Industry Holding Co Ltd is engaged in the research and development, production, and sale of aluminum products, including aluminum plates, strips, foils, alumina, electrolytic aluminum, and deep-processed aluminum materials. Its business activities include non-ferrous metal rolling and processing, non-ferrous metal alloy manufacturing, and the development and sale of new metal functional materials.

Coal India Ltd is a state-owned coal mining company, which was formed when the government took over many private coal mines. Coal India is responsible for the vast majority of India's coal production. The Company is engaged in a single segment business of Coal mining.

Fresnillo PLC explores, develops, and produces silver and gold resources mainly in Mexico. The company’s reportable segments comprise seven producing mines: the Fresnillo, Saucito, and Juanicipio underground silver mines located in Zacatecas; the Cienega underground silver-gold mine in Durango; the Herradura and Noche Buena surface gold mines in Sonora; and the San Julian underground silver-gold mine situated on the border of Chihuahua and Durango. Its mining operations involve both underground and open-pit mining methods, depending on the characteristics of each deposit.

China Coal Energy Co Ltd is a joint-stock company. The company is a large-scale energy enterprise integrating coal production and trade, coal chemical industry, power generation, and coal mining equipment manufacturing. Its segment includes Coal; Coalchemical products; Mining machinery; and Finance and Others. The company generates maximum revenue from the Coal segment.

Northern Star is an Australia-based midtier global gold miner that sold around 1.6 million ounces of gold in fiscal 2025 from its three wholly owned mining operations in Australia and Alaska. Its operations are the result of significant merger and acquisition activity including 14 acquisitions and four asset sales since 2010. It had roughly a decade of reserves at the end of fiscal 2025.

ATI Inc supplies specialty metals to various end markets, including aerospace and defense, oil and gas, automotive, and electrical energy, among many others. The company's operating segment includes High-Performance Materials and Components and Advanced Alloys and Solutions. The majority of revenue is from the High-Performance Materials segment. The High-Performance Materials segment is focused on a wide range of high-performance specialty materials, parts, and components for several the majority of end markets, including the aerospace & defense, medical, and energy markets. Geographically, it operates in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and Others, the majority is from the United States.

Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde SAA is involved in the exploration, extraction, production and sale of copper from deposits located in the southwest of the Arequipa city.

China Hongqiao Group Ltd manufactures and sells aluminum products. Its products include molten aluminum alloy, aluminum alloy ingots, aluminum busbars, aluminum alloy processing products, and alumina products. The company has the manufacturing and sale of aluminum products segment. The company's geographical segments are China and Indonesia out of which China accounts for the majority of the revenue.

Hindustan Zinc Ltd is engaged in exploring, extracting, processing minerals, and manufacturing metals. The company is focused on mining and smelting zinc, Lead, and silver and also power generation through captive power plants and wind power plants. The company produces products under the brand name HZL and Vedanta. The segments of the company include Zinc, Lead, Silver, and others; and Wind energy. The company generates the majority of its revenues through Zinc, Lead, silver, and other segments. The company has a business presence in India, Asia, and the Rest of the World of which India derives a majority of the revenue.

Tata Steel Ltd is an India-based company that is engaged in the production and marketing of various steel products. Its products are basically classified into flat products and construction products. Flat products include hot-rolled steel, cold-rolled steel, metallic-coated steel, direct-coated steel, tubes, packaging steel, electro-plated steel, and narrow strips. Its segments include Tata Steel India, Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited, Other Indian operations, Tata Steel Europe, Other trade related operations, South-East Asian operations, and Rest of the world. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Tata Steel India segment.

Yankuang Energy Group Co Ltd is an energy enterprise based in China, mainly involved in the coal and chemicals business. Along with its subsidiaries, the company operates in the following reportable segments: Coal mining, Smart logistics, Coal chemical, electricity and heat supply, and Equipment manufacturing. The majority of its revenue is generated from the Coal mining business, which is involved in underground and open-cut mining, preparation and sales of coal and potash mineral exploration. Its main products include thermal coal, PCI coal, and coking coal applicable to electric power, metallurgy, and the chemical industry, etc. Geographically, the Group generates maximum revenue from the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the rest from Australia and other markets.

Nippon Steel Corp is mainly engaged in the steel manufacturing business, engineering business, chemical & material business, and system solution business. The company operates through four business segments. The Chemicals & Materials segment manufactures and sells coal chemicals, petrochemicals, electronic materials, semiconductors, carbon fibers, composites, and processed metal products. The Engineering segment handles industrial machinery, steel structures, construction contracting, waste disposal, recycling, and energy supply. The Steel segment focuses on the production and sale of steel products. The System Solutions segment provides IT consulting, outsourcing, and related services. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Steel segment.

Reliance is a metals service center company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the largest operator of metals service centers in North America. It buys metal from producers, provides metals processing services, and distributes a line of about 100,000 metal products, including aluminum, brass, alloy, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium and specialty metals, to around 125,000 customers such as fabricators and manufacturers. Its network runs under more than 75 brands, including Phoenix Metals, EMJ, Metals USA, Feralloy, Siskin Steel, Tube Service, Valex and Yarde Metals, many of them added through acquisitions such as Earle M. Jorgensen for $984 million in 2006 and PNA Group for $1.1 billion in 2008. Reliance reported revenue of $14.3 billion and net income of $739 million for 2025, had about 15,000 employees at the end of 2023, and ranked 309th on the 2025 Fortune 500. The company was founded in Los Angeles on February 3, 1939 by Thomas J. Neilan as Reliance Steel Products Company, a maker of steel reinforcing bar for construction. It went public on September 14, 1994, trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker RS, and changed its name from Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. to Reliance, Inc. on February 15, 2024.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd is a diversified mining company. The company's principal activities include mineral exploration, mine engineering and construction, and development and mining operations. The firm produces copper in concentrate, copper anode, copper cathode, nickel, gold, zinc, silver, acid, and pyrite. It has operating mines located in Zambia, Panama, Turkey, Spain, Australia, and Mauritania. The company’s reportable operating segments are Cobre Panama, Kansanshi, and Trident.

Hindalco Industries Ltd extracts raw materials and produces and sells industrial metals in the below segments: Copper, Aluminum Upstream and Aluminium Downstream, Novelis, and all other Segment. The Copper segment purchases raw materials and produces continuous cast copper rods, copper cathodes, sulphuric acid, gold, and silver. The firm hedges its copper and other precious metals costs through futures contracts in an attempt to match commodity price changes between the time it purchases the raw materials and sells the finished products. The Aluminum segment mines bauxite and produces hydrate and alumina, aluminum, and aluminum-based products. The majority of Hindalco's revenue comes from India. The firm is also expanding internationally with sales and operations across the globe.

Aluminum Corp of China Ltd is an aluminum producer. Its main business includes exploration and mining of resources such as bauxite and coal, production, sales, technology research and development of alumina, primary aluminum, aluminum alloys, and carbon products, international trade, logistics industry, thermal and new energy power generation, etc. The company's reportable operating segments are; The alumina segment, The primary aluminum segment, Energy, Trading, and the Corporate segment. The majority of its revenue is generated from the primary aluminum segment which consists of procuring alumina and other raw materials, supplemental materials and electricity power, and smelting alumina to produce primary aluminum. Geographically, its key revenue is derived from Mainland China.

Royal Gold Inc enquires and manages precious metal royalties and streams with a focus on gold. The company purchases a percentage of the metal produced from a mineral property for an initial payment without assuming responsibility for mining operations. Similarly, precious metal streams are purchase agreements with mine operators providing the right to purchase all or a portion of one or more metals produced from a mine in exchange for an upfront deposit payment. Generally, Royal Gold does not work on the properties in which it holds royalty and streaming assets. The company owns a portfolio of producing, development, evaluation, and exploration royalties and streams, and the majority of group revenue is generated from Canada, Mexico, Chile, and the United States.

Valterra Platinum Ltd formerly Anglo American Platinum Ltd is the world's primary producer of Platinum Group Metals, which includes platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, and osmium. The company also produces base metals including copper, nickel, cobalt sulphate, sodium sulphate, chrome, and other precious metals. The primary uses of platinum group metals include jewellery, autocatalytic converters, fuel cells, air- and water-purification units, heart pacemakers, computer screens, hard disks, and fertilisers. The mining operations include managed mines, joint-venture mines, and associate mines across South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd manufactures and markets iron and steel products. The company operates through three segments. The Steel Manufacturing segment consists of multiple units involved in the production of various steel products. The Processing and Distribution segment comprises trading entities, including Baosteel International and its overseas affiliates. The Others segment includes operations related to information technology, the carbon industry, and other ancillary businesses. The company’s core product offerings include cold-rolled and hot-rolled carbon steel coils, steel pipes, long products, thick plates, and other steel-related items.