Advertisement
Canada markets open in 5 minutes
  • S&P/TSX

    21,885.38
    +11.66 (+0.05%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,048.42
    -23.21 (-0.46%)
     
  • DOW

    38,085.80
    -375.12 (-0.98%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7318
    -0.0005 (-0.07%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    84.23
    +0.66 (+0.79%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    87,202.15
    +1,060.12 (+1.23%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,383.71
    -12.82 (-0.92%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,358.40
    +15.90 (+0.68%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    1,981.12
    -14.31 (-0.72%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.6610
    -0.0450 (-0.96%)
     
  • NASDAQ futures

    17,715.00
    +147.50 (+0.84%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    15.43
    +0.06 (+0.39%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,118.84
    +39.98 (+0.49%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    37,934.76
    +306.28 (+0.81%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6827
    +0.0006 (+0.09%)
     

Does Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. (NYSEMKT:PZG) Have A High Beta?

Anyone researching Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. (NYSEMKT:PZG) might want to consider the historical volatility of the share price. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first type is company specific volatility. Investors use diversification across uncorrelated stocks to reduce this kind of price volatility across the portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market.

Some stocks see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated price movements. Some investors use beta as a measure of how much a certain stock is impacted by market risk (volatility). While we should keep in mind that Warren Buffett has cautioned that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk', beta is still a useful factor to consider. To make good use of it you must first know that the beta of the overall market is one. A stock with a beta below one is either less volatile than the market, or more volatile but not corellated with the overall market. In comparison a stock with a beta of over one tends to be move in a similar direction to the market in the long term, but with greater changes in price.

Check out our latest analysis for Paramount Gold Nevada

What PZG's beta value tells investors

While history does not always repeat, this level of beta may indicate that the stock price will continue to be exposed to market risk, albeit not overly so. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how Paramount Gold Nevada fares in that regard, below.

AMEX:PZG Income Statement, January 13th 2020
AMEX:PZG Income Statement, January 13th 2020

Does PZG's size influence the expected beta?

Paramount Gold Nevada is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of US$21m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It doesn't take much money to really move the share price of a company as small as this one. That makes it somewhat unusual that it has a beta value so close to the overall market.

What this means for you:

Since Paramount Gold Nevada has a beta close to one, it will probably show a positive return when the market is moving up, based on history. If you're trying to generate better returns than the market, it would be worth thinking about other metrics such as cashflows, dividends and revenue growth might be a more useful guide to the future. In order to fully understand whether PZG is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Paramount Gold Nevada’s financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following:

ADVERTISEMENT
  1. Financial Health: Are PZG’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.

  2. Past Track Record: Has PZG been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of PZG's historicals for more clarity.

  3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.