Critical Comparison: International Tower Hill Mines (NYSE:THM) vs. South32 (OTCMKTS:SOUHY)

International Tower Hill Mines (NYSE:THM) and South32 (OTCMKTS:SOUHY) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares International Tower Hill Mines and South32″s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
International Tower Hill Mines	N/A	N/A	-$3.40 million	($0.02)	-25.55
South32	$5.48 billion	1.91	-$203.00 million	N/A	N/A

International Tower Hill Mines has higher earnings, but lower revenue than South32.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

54.6% of International Tower Hill Mines shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of South32 shares are held by institutional investors. 2.5% of International Tower Hill Mines shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of South32 shares are held by 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 and Volatility

International Tower Hill Mines has a beta of 1.1, meaning that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, South32 has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares International Tower Hill Mines and South32’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
International Tower Hill Mines	N/A	-5.82%	-5.80%
South32	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for International Tower Hill Mines and South32, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
International Tower Hill Mines	0	0	0	0	0.00
South32	1	1	0	0	1.50

About International Tower Hill Mines

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. is a Canada-based resource exploration company possessing a portfolio of Alaskan and Nevada based gold and base metal exploration projects. The Company is currently focused on the Livengood Gold Project located in the north of Fairbanks, Alaska. International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About South32

South32 Limited operates as a diversified metals and mining company in Australia, India, China, Japan, the Middle East, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Worsley Alumina, Brazil Alumina, Brazil Aluminium, Hillside Aluminium, Mozal Aluminium, Sierra Gorda, Cannington, Hermosa, Cerro Matoso, Illawarra Metallurgical Coal, Australia Manganese, and South Africa Manganese segments. It has a portfolio of assets producing bauxite, alumina, aluminum, copper, silver, lead, zinc, nickel, metallurgical coal, manganese, ferronickel, and other base metals. The company also exports its products. South32 Limited was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Perth, Australia.