We recently published a list of 12 High Growth Large Cap Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) stands against other high growth large cap stocks.
BlackRock highlighted that its portfolio managers are broadly optimistic about US equities. Its portfolio managers opine that there is still some expected upside potential, despite the steep US stock valuations. However, the contrast between lagging European economic growth, and stock performance, is stark. The US Fed decided to reduce the policy rate by another 25 bps in a recent meeting as the apex bank sees inflation moving closer to its target of 2%.
However, the financial conditions remain loose after a historically sharp tightening cycle. The firm believes that such an unusual backdrop strengthens its view that the environment is being dominated by structural forces and not by a typical business cycle.
Overall, the firm remains overweight on the US given the positive view on the AI theme. The valuations for AI beneficiaries have strong backing as technology companies continue to beat high earnings projections. The asset manager believes that falling inflation continues to ease pressure on corporate profit margins.
High-Single Digit Growth in S&P 500
Goldman Sachs Research’s projections for the S&P 500 Index of stocks remain broadly the same as it was before Trump’s win. As per David Kostin, the chief US equity strategist at the firm, the S&P 500 is expected to reach 6,300 in the upcoming 12 months. The researchers expect growth in EPS of 11% in 2025 and 7% in the following year. That being said, David Kostin highlighted that the estimates might change as and when the new administration’s policy agenda gets revealed. Overall, strong earnings growth is expected to fuel continued equity market appreciation into next year.
Historically, the S&P 500 index generated a median return of 4% between election day in November and calendar year-end, as per Goldman Sachs. Together with the resilience in broader economic growth data and the expectation for further rate cuts, the near-term outlook for US equities remains healthy, as per Kostin.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.
US Tariffs’ Impact
Several investors remain focused on trade policy, and Mr. Trump might have plans to implement some of the tariffs without legislation. Goldman Sachs believes that Trump will impose tariffs on imports from China. These are expected to average an additional 20 percentage points. Furthermore, European companies can face tariffs. The large investment bank also highlighted that, during Trump’s previous administration, domestic-facing and defensive industries, including utilities, telecom services, and real estate, outperformed. On the other hand, the stocks of automobiles, capital goods, and technology hardware underperformed.
The company believes that M&As might increase under Trump’s presidency. Though the policy uncertainty will take time to recede, there are expectations that antitrust regulation will be more relaxed. Moreover, the continued economic expansion and higher confidence among CEOs might result in increased corporate combinations. Approximately, $4 trillion of corporate spending in the next calendar year might roughly get evenly split between returning cash to shareholders and growth investments (such as CapEx, R&D, and M&A).
Our Methodology
To list the 12 High Growth Large Cap Stocks to Buy Now, we sifted through several online rankings and a screener. We extracted the stocks that have a healthy 5-year revenue growth and a market cap of more than $10 billion. Finally, the stocks were ranked in ascending order of upside potential, as of 12th November.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)
5-Year Revenue Growth: ~27.9%
Average Upside Potential: ~31.5%
Market cap as of 12 November: $38.5 billion
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) is a gold producer. It focuses on the exploration, development, and expansion of its gold properties mainly from underground operations.
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)’s focus on operational performance, cost control, and capital discipline should result in long-term growth. The company targets realizing the full potential of its assets with the help of continuous improvement and by advancing its pipeline of projects and supplemental exploration program.
Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)’s pipeline projects. For example, in Q3 2024, the company advanced site preparation for the underground project, which includes the completion of a pad that will host the surface infrastructure for the underground project as well as the removal of the overburden for the portal. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) continues to focus on the expansion plan for the Detour Lake mine.
The expansion project is a low-risk one because of factors such as a favorable location in an established mining jurisdiction and current infrastructure which can support increased production. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)’s financial strategy consists of enhancing the balance sheet via strategic investments and preparing for further growth opportunities. The expansion will also result in higher production volumes, which can result in lower per-ounce costs. This will ultimately enhance profitability and cash flow generation.
Analysts at UBS Group initiated coverage on the shares of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) on 17th September. They gave a “Buy” rating and a price target of $95.00. Alluvium Asset Management, an asset management company, released its Q2 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:
“Our gold miners had quite divergent performance, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) was up 11.4%, but Regis Resources was down 12.9%. They both provided quarterly updates. Regis reported business disruptions due to poor weather, but management maintained its output and cost guidance. It also announced the approval of two underground projects that will add around 25% to production levels from 2027, but they will cost circa AUD 150m. Agnico reported more positive results and reiterated guidance. We have revised our long term gold price and exchange rate assumptions (which remain conservative). On our earnings based models we still view Regis as cheap and Agnico as expensive. But that ignores management, and, to a large extent, growth prospects. And when we consider those factors the equation looks decidedly more balanced. So despite Regis trading at an even larger discount to our valuation we have not bought more, and despite Agnico trading at an even larger premium to our valuation, we have not recently sold any. The Fund’s combined position in these gold miners is 6.6%.”
Overall, AEM ranks 10th on our list of 12 High Growth Large Cap Stocks to Buy Now. While we acknowledge the potential of AEM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than AEM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.