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STOCK COMPARISON

Rio Tinto vs Southern Copper: Fair Value & Quality

Both stocks run through our valuation models. Here is how Rio Tinto (RIO) and Southern Copper (SCCO) compare, as of Oct 26, 2026.

As of Oct 26, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees Rio Tinto as the less overvalued of the two: Rio Tinto trades at $83.42 versus a fair value of $75.91 (−9.0%), while Southern Copper trades at $185 versus $159 (−14.1%).
Rio Tinto
RIO · USD · Materials
−9.0%
upside to fair value
fairly valued
Price$83.42
Fair Value$75.91
Quality55/100
Southern Copper
SCCO · USD · Materials
−14.1%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price$185
Fair Value$159
Quality79/100
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Head-to-head numbers

Green is the better side of a row, red the weaker one (for valuation multiples: lower = cheaper). Grey rows are for reference only and are not scored.

betterweakerfor reference, not scored

Rio TintoSouthern Copper
Valuation
12.1×P/E (TTM)27.4×
9.7×Forward P/E (FY2027)24.3×
2.21×P/S (TTM)10.08×
2.20×P/B14.42×
6.5×EV/EBITDA16.3×
5.69×PEG5.41×
−9.0%Fair value upside−14.1%
5.6%Dividend yield1.9%
$4.65Dividend per share$3.52
Profitability
28.1%Operating margin61.2%
0.70×EBIT margin trend (5Y)1.34×
19.3%Return on equity49.9%
7.8%Return on assets20.3%
Growth
15.5%Revenue growth (YoY)40.6%
1.3%Avg. growth/yr (3Y)10.1%
5.3%Avg. growth/yr (5Y)10.9%
+4.0%Value creation/yr+9.2%
Balance & size
14.4×Interest coverage (EBIT/interest)19.0×
0.34×Debt / equity0.61×
$137BMarket cap$159B
expensiveGrowth qualityhealthy
Forward P/E: price divided by the analyst consensus for the first fiscal year that has not started yet. The current year carries special items from quarters already reported.

Southern Copper leads: 7 to 9 metric wins.

n/a = not meaningfully computable, for example with negative equity.

Quality in detail

The quality score, broken down into the same factor families as on the stock page, 0 to 100 per family.

Rio Tinto Southern Copper
ProfitabilityHow much profit the company makes from its sales and capital
47
81
Quality GrowthAre margins and returns getting better?
31
76
CashflowDo the profits arrive as real cash?
56
75
Financial strengthDebt, balance sheet and risk of trouble
66
82
InvestmentDoes it invest with discipline instead of growing at any price?
38
55
Low VolatilityHow calm the share price moves, does not count
77
35
MomentumPrice trend of the last 3 to 12 months, does not count
45
66
Near the 52-week highDistance to the 52-week high, does not count
52
79
New sharesBuys back shares or issues new ones?
80
78

What the models say

How far the median fair value (base case) per model family sits from the current price, in percent. The amount in the currency of the trading venue is shown underneath.

above the price, more than 15% above close to the price, 85% to 115% of the price below the price, more than 15% below

Model familyRio TintoPrice $83.42Southern CopperPrice $185
DCF Models−22.5%below the price$64.63−54.6%below the price$84.04
Earnings-Based−38.2%below the price$51.58−71.7%below the price$52.27
Dividend Discount−17.6%below the price$68.78−74.1%below the price$47.88
Multiples+21.3%above the price$101−65.9%below the price$63.03
Asset-Based−73.5%below the price$22.07−95.3%below the price$8.66
Growth DCF−38.7%below the price$51.17−68.0%below the price$59.17
Economic Profit−19.5%below the price$67.14−72.2%below the price$51.52
Growth Earnings+7.1%close to the price$89.35−57.6%below the price$78.42
Matching families8 of 8
Minimum−73.5%below the price$22.07−95.3%below the price$8.66
Maximum+21.3%above the price$101−54.6%below the price$84.04
Median−21.0%below the price$65.88−69.9%below the price$55.72
Geometric mean−28.7%below the price$59.50−74.1%below the price$47.84
Ahead family by family8 of 80 of 8

Minimum, maximum, median and geometric mean only use the families both stocks have (matching families: 8 of 8), so a family without a value on one side does not distort the comparison. Ahead in a family is the stock whose fair value there sits higher relative to its price. Geometric because deviations are ratios: half the price and twice the price average to 100%, not 125%.

Family by family: Rio Tinto is ahead in 8 of 8 shared families, Southern Copper in none.

Rio Tinto: 17 of 26 models see the stock below the current price.

Southern Copper: 26 of 26 models see the stock below the current price.

Scenario ranges

From our cautious bear scenario to the optimistic bull scenario. The white tick is the current price (value above it), the green tick the fair value (value below it): if the price sits left of the fair value, there is room to rise.

Rio Tinto
Price $83.42
Fair Value $75.91
Bear $44.12Bull $113
Southern Copper
Price $185
Fair Value $159
Bear $102Bull $218

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Ranked within their sector

Where each stock sits within its sector peer group. Band = middle 50% of peers, tick = median, dot = this stock.

Rio Tinto · Materials

Quality score55 · above median
Fair value upside−9.0% · above median

Southern Copper · Materials

Quality score79 · Top 25%
Fair value upside−14.1% · above median

Bottom line

As of Oct 26, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees Rio Tinto as the less overvalued of the two: Rio Tinto trades at $83.42 versus a fair value of $75.91 (−9.0%), while Southern Copper trades at $185 versus $159 (−14.1%).

Southern Copper has the higher quality score (79/100).

Open Rio Tinto live analysis →

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A model-based valuation snapshot from 26 models. Values change with price and fundamentals; the date shown above applies.