Gold has long been regarded as a safe haven in times of market turmoil. Many investors have gained exposure to the precious metal by buying stocks of companies engaged in exploration and mining. Some of the major players in the gold industry include mining companies Franco Nevada Corp. (FNV), Newmont Corp. (NEM), and Newcrest Mining Ltd. (NCM).

Gold stocks, as represented by the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), have dramatically outperformed the broader market. GDX has provided a total return of 38.7% over the past 12 months, well above the Russell 1000's total return of 15.9%, as of October 26. All statistics in the tables below are as of October 27.

Here are the top 3 gold stocks with the best value, the fastest growth, and the most momentum.

Best Value Gold Stocks

These are the gold stocks with the lowest 12-month trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. Because profits can be returned to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks, a low P/E ratio shows you’re paying less for each dollar of profit generated.

Best Value Gold Stocks

 

 Price ($) Market Cap ($B) 12-Month Trailing P/E Ratio
Sibanye Stillwater Ltd. (SBSW) 12.28 9.0 3.3
Jaguar Mining Inc. (JAG.TO) CA$7.85 CA$0.6 9.4
Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX.TO) CA$35.13 CA$62.5 10.5

Source: YCharts

  • Sibanye Stillwater Ltd.: Sibanye Stillwater is a South Africa-based mining company that develops and extracts mineral properties. The company serves customers in South Africa and the U.S. Sibanye Stillwater announced in early October the promotion of Executive Vice President Richard Stewart to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective December 1, 2020.
  • Jaguar Mining Inc.: Jaguar is a Canada-based mining company that explores, develops, and operates gold properties in Brazil. The company recently announced preliminary gold-production results for Q3 2020, ended September 30, 2020. Gold production rose 25% compared to the same quarter a year ago. Jaguar said the results were achieved as the company learned to manage an increase in COVID-19 cases at its operations during the quarter. Jaguar's Q3 financial results will be reported on November 10, 2020.
  • Barrick Gold Corp.: Barrick Gold is a Canada-based mining company principally engaged in the production and sale of gold and copper. The company has operating mines and development projects in the U.S., Canada, South America, Australia, and Africa.

Fastest Growing Gold Stocks

These are the gold stocks with the highest year-over-year (YOY) earnings per share (EPS) growth for the most recent quarter. Rising earnings show that a company’s business is growing and is generating more money that it can reinvest or return to shareholders.

Fastest Growing Gold Stocks

 

 Price ($) Market Cap ($B) EPS Growth (%)
Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (SSL.TO) CA$10.62 CA$2.0 314.4
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM.TO) CA$104.69 CA$25.3 271.2
Eldorado Gold Corp. (ELD.TO) CA$17.14 CA$3.0 236.7

Source: YCharts

  • Sandstorm Gold Ltd.: Sandstorm is a Canada-based metals company that owns the rights to purchase gold and other metals from either mining companies or advanced stage development projects.
  • Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.: Agnico Eagle is a Canada-based gold exploration and production company. The company has operations and exploration activities throughout Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. Agnico Eagle announced at the end of September that it has formed a 50-50 joint venture with Newmont to explore the Anza project and seek other prospective gold targets in Colombia. The Anza project is an area about 200-square kilometers in size and is located in Colombia's Mid-Cauca belt, west of Medellin.
  • Eldorado Gold Corp.: Eldorado is a Canada-based gold mining company. The company has operations throughout the world, including Brazil, China, Turkey, and Greece. Eldorado Gold announced at the end of July its quarterly financial results for Q2 2020, which ended June 30, 2020. Net earnings rose 273.8% on revenue growth of 47.3% compared to the year-ago quarter. Earnings received an added boost from lower costs compared to Q2 2019.

Gold Stocks with the Most Momentum

These are the gold stocks that had the highest total return over the last 12 months.

Gold Stocks with the Most Momentum

 

 Price ($) Market Cap ($M) 12-Month Trailing Total Return (%)
Tudor Gold Corp. (TUD.V) CA$3.03 CA$490.4 494.1
Jaguar Mining Inc. (JAG.TO) CA$7.85 CA$567.9 428.3
Pure Gold Mining Inc. (PGM.V) CA$2.30 CA$906.4 283.3
Russell 1000 N/A N/A 15.9
VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) N/A N/A 38.7

Source: YCharts

  • Tudor Gold Corp.: Tudor is a Canada-based mining company focused on the exploration and development of precious metals. The company targets mining operations in the area of British Columbia known as the Golden Triangle.
  • Jaguar Mining Inc.: See above for company description.
  • Pure Gold Mining Inc.: Pure Gold Mining is a Canada-based mining company focused on the exploration and development of gold properties in Canada.