In this article, we will discuss the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
In response to China’s dominance in the rare earth magnet supply chain, the U.S. government is increasing its emphasis on boosting domestic critical mineral production. This is evident from The Pentagon’s immediate action, securing a direct equity stake in MP Materials, which owns and operates the Mountain Pass mine, the only rare earth mine and processing facility in the country. This acquisition makes the U.S. government the largest shareholder. Furthermore, they are seeking other U.S. mining companies to explore more acquisition opportunities, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals. These critical minerals are essential for the country’s defense and technology sectors.
Shifting to the broader minerals markets, a significant policy shift in the country has led copper prices to surge, now nearing their record highs. Effective August 1, 2025, Trump announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports. Although the market hasn’t fully priced in these tariffs yet, Michael Widmer, Commodities Strategist at Bank of America, spoke to CNBC, expressing his belief that the impact will get factored in over time. He notes that these tariffs, which are expected to affect copper and copper derivative products, will cause a ripple effect across the entire supply chain, including upstream, downstream, and mid-stream companies, eventually driving increased prices for consumers. He also emphasized the need for greater smelting capacity within the U.S., which is exporting more scrap copper than it’s importing refined copper at the moment. However, developments in this regard are expected to take place in the long term, he notes.
Moving on to the gold market, on July 22, 2025, prices surged by 1.5% overnight, reaching their five-week high and surpassing $3,400 per ounce. This increase follows the drop in the U.S. dollar index to below $98, and the expected rate cut in September 2025. Meanwhile, strong investment demand has driven this surge, with ETFs experiencing record purchases in June. Following this uptick, most of the global banks and brokerages have set optimistic price targets for the second half of 2025, with Citi being the only one, expects gold to drop below $3,000 per ounce. The average consensus price target is around $3,500 per ounce, while Morgan Stanley is most bullish, setting a price target of $3,800 per ounce by Q4 2025. As of July 22, 2025, silver is also soaring, nearing its 14-year high.
With this backdrop, let’s move on to our list of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
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Methodology
To curate our list of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds, we used the Finviz screener to find companies operating in the gold, silver, iron, aluminum, coking coal, and lithium sectors. We ranked these stocks based on hedge fund sentiment, using Insider Monkey’s hedge fund database, which tracks the activity of over 1,000 hedge funds. Finally, we present the list of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds holding each stock.
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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
11. Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)
Number of Hedge Funds: 37
Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has attracted significant hedge fund interest, making it one of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
On July 2, 2025, Barclays increased its price target on Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) from $12.75 to $13, maintaining an ‘Overweight’ rating. The analyst’s optimism stems from favorable market conditions for miners, marked by potential price increases for copper, stable iron ore market, and a weakening U.S. dollar.
Meanwhile, expectations of interest rate cuts beginning September 2025 further drove the analyst’s optimism. Based on CME FedWatch data, a 78% probability was set for a 25-basis-point cut in July 2025, which has yet to materialize. At the same time, with the same probability, a 75-basis-point cut is expected for the calendar year.
With its Iron Solutions segment, Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) is engaged in the production and sale of iron ore and iron ore pellets. Meanwhile, its Energy Transition Materials segment is engaged in the production of nickel and its by-products. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
10. Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE)
Number of Hedge Funds: 38
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE) is among the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
On July 1, 2025, Roth Capital increased its price target on Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE) from $10 to $12, maintaining a ‘Buy’ rating, amid favorable gold and silver prices.
The analyst forecasts that the gold price is expected to increase from the previous forecast of $3,100 to $3,294 per ounce for Q2. Meanwhile, for Q3, it is projected to increase from $2,350 to $3,300, and for Q4, Roth Capital expects it to grow from $2,300 to $3,150.
On the other hand, the analyst projects price of silver to grow from $31 to $33.22 in Q2 2025. For Q3 and Q4, respectively, the price is expected to increase from $27.65 to $35.50, and from $27.06 to $35.00 per ounce.
These price revisions come amid the strong growth momentum of gold equities, which have increased 46% on a YTD basis, while the broader market has returned a 14.54% gain. Meanwhile, Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE) has seen its share price gain 65.12% and 46.43% on a YTD and 1-year basis.
Operating sites in Palmarejo, Rochester, Kensington, Wharf, Silvertip, and Las Chispas, Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE) produces gold and silver while also exploring for silver, zinc, lead, and other related metals. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
9. Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC)
Number of Hedge Funds: 39
Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) has attracted significant hedge fund interest, making it one of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
On July 15, 2025, CIBC increased its price target on Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) from $16 to $21, maintaining an ‘Outperform’ rating. This follows a bullish rating issued earlier by Jefferies. The company’s strong financial health is cited, with expectations of healthy free cash flow in the current year and the upcoming year, having reduced its net debt significantly to $540 million.
Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) expects a stable gold production, with plans to reach 2 million ounces, generating increased value for it. This optimism flows into analysts’ revised estimates that project 11% and 16.5% increased growth in the company’s earnings for FY25 and FY26, respectively.
Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) is a gold miner, dealing in assets located in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and Mauritania. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
8. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB)
Number of Hedge Funds: 42
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) is among the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
On July 14, 2025, Wells Fargo increased its price target on Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) from $60 to $75, maintaining an ‘Equal Weight’ rating. On the same day, the company’s share price, which opened at $70.79, soared to $71.87, representing a 1.53% increase. Since then, it has grown by 7.35%, reaching $77.15. This follows strong momentum demonstrated by ALB in the past month, where its share price has risen 36.16%. This strong growth is driven by the favorable specialty chemicals equity market, which has also demonstrated the same growth in the past month.
Meanwhile, on July 14, KeyBanc, while maintaining an ‘Overweight’ rating on Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB), reduced its price target from $95 to $87. Furthermore, Zacks Research issued a ‘Hold’ rating for ALB due to weak revenue expectations. The analyst expects a 15% drop that will take the company’s current quarter sales to $1.21 billion.
Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB), through its Energy segment, offers lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and lithium chloride, serving consumer electronics and the EV market. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
7. Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B)
Number of Hedge Funds: 46
Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B) has attracted significant hedge fund interest, making it one of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B) has shown a strong momentum in the past year, with its share price soaring to a 52-week high of $21.60 on July 7, 2025. The company’s share price is up 37.84% and 15.88% on a YTD basis and 1-year basis. This comes amid the strong momentum in gold equities, which have risen over 46% on a YTD basis, compared to the 14.54% broader market gain.
As such, CIBC, on July 15, 2025, raised its price target on Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B) from $24 to $28, maintaining a ‘Neutral’ rating.
Meanwhile, Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B) is making significant progress in the copper market with its $2 billion Lumwana Super Pit Expansion, which will double production to 240,000 tons annually. The expansion includes a new processing plant and infrastructure upgrades to the mine, which has already contributed over $4 billion to Zambia since 2019.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:B) explores for gold, copper, silver, and energy materials. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
6. Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA)
Number of Hedge Funds: 47
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) is among the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
On July 16, 2025, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) reported results for Q2 2025, which turned out to be a stronger-than-expected quarter. The company reported an adjusted EPS of $0.39 per share, surpassing estimates of $0.29. Meanwhile, sequential revenue went down by 10% to $3 billion. Lower alumina and aluminum prices, along with a $95 million tariff (including the 50% U.S. Section 232 tariff on Canadian aluminum), had a heavy impact, also dragging adjusted EBITDA down by $542 million to $313 million. To mitigate the tariff impact, the company is planning to reroute 100,000 or more metric tons to non-U.S. purchasers.
On the strategic side, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) closed its $1.35 billion Ma’aden JV exit on July 1, 2025, selling its 25.1% stake in the venture to Saudi Arabian Mining Company. Meanwhile, the company continued with its commitment to sustainable actions with initiatives like EcoLum sales and supply extensions with Prysmian.
Looking ahead, improved alumina performance and tariff-offsetting Midwest premiums are expected in Q3. However, the company expresses caution due to power-related delays at San Ciprián. Alcoa has faced a challenging environment due to the high cost of energy at the site for an extended period.
After the earnings release, on July 18, 2025, Morgan Stanley cut its price target for AA from $40 to $38, while maintaining an ‘Overweight’ rating, citing the company’s short-term market condition and strategic outlook.
With its operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Spain, the United States, and internationally, Alcoa Corporation (NYSE:AA) is engaged in the bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminum production, and energy generation business. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
5. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)
Number of Hedge Funds: 50
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) has attracted significant hedge fund interest, making it one of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
Ahead of the Q2 2025 results that will be announced by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) on July 30, 2025, CIBC, on July 15, 2025, raised its price target on AEM from $134 to $165, maintaining an ‘Outperform’ rating.
This comes amid the optimistic growth outlook for Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM), which will be reflected in the upcoming quarter’s results. The company has experienced a positive earnings’ estimate revision of $0.42 with earnings growth expected to increase by 52.5%, according to AEM.
Meanwhile, developments at the company’s Detour Lake Gold Mine in Canada are in full swing. With early works like clearing land and receiving water permits already completed by Q1 end, the company expressed its expectation that ramp construction was set to begin in Q2. This development holds significance as Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) plans to produce 1 million ounces per year worth of Gold for 14+ years from this asset.
With assets located in Canada, Australia, Finland, and Mexico, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM), primarily a gold mining company, also explores for silver, zinc, and copper. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
4. Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE:AGI)
Number of Hedge Funds: 50
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE:AGI) is among the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
The company’s outlook remains mixed among investors, while AGI’s shares are up 42.34% year-to-date. On July 16, 2025, National Bank decreased its price target on Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE:AGI) from $38.18 to $37.27, maintaining an ‘Outperform’ rating. Meanwhile, on July 21, 2025, Stifel increased its price target on the company from $33.61 to $35.08, maintaining a ‘Buy’ rating.
These updates follow the company’s mixed performance in Q1 2025, during which Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE:AGI) experienced cost pressures. The company’s total cash cost rose to $1,193 per ounce (vs. $910 in Q1 2024) and all-in sustaining costs (AISC) increased to $1,805 per ounce (vs. $1,265). Meanwhile, its profitability and revenue demonstrated stable growth.
Operating in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE:AGI) is a gold-producing company. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
3. Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK)
Number of Hedge Funds: 62
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK) is among the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
The analyst outlook remains mixed ahead of its Q2 earnings report that Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK) is expected to release on July 24, 2025. For Q2 ended June 30, 2025, analysts expect a decline in the company’s EPS and revenue by roughly 63% and 43%, respectively.
Citing higher copper prices and improved recession risks, JPMorgan, on July 9, 2025, increased its price target on Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK) from $41 to $44, maintaining an ‘Outperform’ rating.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley increased its price target on Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK) from $42 to $44; however, it downgraded the company’s stock from ‘Overweight’ to ‘Equal Weight’ on July 15, 2025, citing the less compelling risk/reward dynamics in copper equities at the moment, following outperformance since April 2025.
Across Asia, the Americas, and Europe, Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK) operates mineral properties, focusing on copper, zinc, and lead concentrates, as well as refined zinc, lead, and silver. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
2. Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM)
Number of Hedge Funds: 65
Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) has attracted significant hedge fund interest, making it one of the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
On July 3, 2025, Raymond James increased its price target on Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) from $66 to $67, maintaining an ‘Outperform’ rating. This revision is attributed to the inclusion of second-quarter commodity prices and recent asset sales.
The Q2 results of Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) will reflect limited production from divested assets such as Akyem and Porcupine. These assets were sold earlier in April 2025, as part of the company’s sweeping divestiture plan, generating after-tax proceeds of $850 million. Additionally, on July 15, 2025, Newmont secured $470 million in cash, selling equity stakes in Greatland Resources and Discovery Silver.
These divestitures align with the company’s goal to generate $3 billion in after-tax proceeds in 2025, supporting its capital allocation strategy and strengthening its focus on core assets. Meanwhile, Raymond James predicts higher sustaining capital and reclamation costs, which may constrain cash flows. The company’s share price is up over 60% on a YTD basis.
Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM), primarily a U.S.-based gold mining company, explores for copper, silver, zinc, lead, and other metals. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
1. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)
Number of Hedge Funds: 84
Due to strong hedge fund interest, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) is among the 11 Best Mineral Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
Several analysts have raised their price target on Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX), amid a mixed outlook for copper.
On July 15, 2025, Morgan Stanley increased its price target on FCX from $45 to $54. However, it downgraded its rating from ‘Equal Weight’ to ‘Overweight’. The analyst attributed the downgrade to a weaker outlook on copper equities following their recent outperformance over the past few months.
Meanwhile, on July 11, 2025, UBS downgraded Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) from ‘Buy’ to ‘Neutral’ and raised its price target from $45 to $50. The analyst expects demand to soften in the near future, with fundamentals potentially driving prices down over the next six months.
Furthermore, on July 9, 2025, JPMorgan, maintaining an ‘Overweight’ rating on Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX), increased its price target from $42 to $56, citing higher copper price targets and easing recession risk.
Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) runs mineral mining operations in North America, South America, and Indonesia, exploring for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. It is included in our list of the Best Material Stocks.
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