The copper industry is comprised of companies involved in the exploration, extraction, development, and production of copper, one of the most widely used metals. Copper demand is closely tied to economic cycles as it’s used for a broad range of applications, including construction, electronics, industrial machinery, transportation, power generation, and transmission. The largest names in the sector include Freeport-McMoRan Inc., Australia-based OZ Minerals Ltd., and China-based Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd.

Copper stocks, represented by the Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX), have underperformed the broader market. COPX has provided a total return of -15.5% over the past 12 months, below the -10.7% return for the S&P 500 over the same period. These market performance figures and all statistics in the tables below are as of Sept. 13, 2022.

Here are the top 3 copper stocks with the best value, the fastest growth, and the best performance. These are stocks of companies that mine for copper, rather than futures that track the copper commodity.

These are the copper 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.

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• Lundin Mining Corp.: Lundin Mining is a Canada-based company that engages in the mining and exploration of copper, zinc, gold, and nickel and other metals as well as the development of mineral properties in Chile, Brazil, Portugal, Sweden, and the U.S. It also trades over the counter (OTC) in the U.S. under the ticker LUNMF. The company said that a sinkhole developed near its Alcaparrosa mine at the Minera Ojos del Salado operation in Chile on July 30. As of the company’s latest report on Aug. 18, operations at the mine remained suspended.
• Ero Copper Corp.: Ero Copper is a Canada-based mining company that engages in the production and sale of copper, gold, and silver in mining locations primarily in Brazil. The company also has shares that trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the U.S. under the ticker ERO.
• Capstone Copper Corp.: Capstone Copper is Canada-based copper mining company. Its operations are primarily in the U.S., Mexico, and Chile. Capstone also has shares trading over the counter in the U.S. under the ticker CSCCF. On Aug. 25, Capstone announced that its Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde operations in Chile had committed to the Copper Mark, a United Nations framework promoting responsible production practices and sustainable development. The Copper Mark currently covers six of the 10 largest copper-producing companies worldwide.

These are the top copper stocks as ranked by a growth model that scores companies based on a 50/50 weighting of their most recent quarterly YOY percentage revenue growth and their most recent quarterly YOY earnings-per-share (EPS) growth. Both sales and earnings are critical factors in the success of a company. Therefore ranking companies by only one growth metric makes a ranking susceptible to the accounting anomalies of that quarter (such as changes in tax law or restructuring costs) that may make one or the other figure unrepresentative of the business in general. Companies with quarterly EPS or revenue growth of over 2,500% were excluded as outliers.

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• First Quantum Minerals Ltd.: First Quantum Minerals is a Canada-based mining company that explores for and produces copper, nickel, gold, silver, zinc, and acid. First Quantum operates mines in countries including Turkey, Spain, Finland, and Zambia. It also has shares that trade OTC in the U.S. under the ticker FQVLF. First Quantum reported Q2 2022 earnings results on July 26. Net earnings attributable to company shareholders roughly tripled year-over-year (YOY) on rising revenue. The company said that COVID-19 restrictions had largely eased, although high inflation and a global economic slowdown negatively impacted performance.
• Capstone Copper Corp.: See above for company description.
• Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.: Turquoise Hill Resources is a Canada-based mining company engaged in the exploration and development of mineral and metal properties in Asia and Australia. Its principal property is the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in southern Mongolia. On Aug. 4, Turquoise Hill reported Q2 2022 earnings results. Income for the period declined by 27% YOY as revenue increased. Copper and silver revenues rose YOY, while gold revenue growth remained essentially flat.

These are the copper stocks that had the best returns or smallest declines in total return over the past 12 months out of the companies we looked at.

^{Source: YCharts}

• Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.: See above for company description.
• First Quantum Minerals Ltd.: See above for company description.
• Freeport-McMoRan Inc.: Freeport-McMoRan engages in the mining of copper, gold, and molybdenum. The company has mining operations in both North and South America as well as Indonesia.

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