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Many investors look to gold as a way to preserve wealth against economic uncertainty and inflation. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to gain exposure to the precious metal, such as gold ETFs and physical gold.
Another way to add gold exposure to your portfolio, and to take advantage of its rising price, is to buy stocks of companies that mine gold or are involved in the production of gold. As gold prices go up, the profit margin tends to widen for mining companies.
Here are five of the best gold stocks based on their year-to-date performance and how you can start investing in these companies.
5 best gold stocks
The best gold stocks were selected based on these criteria:
(The performance data below is as of April 21, 2025, via Morningstar.)
1. Harmony Gold Mining Co. (HMY)
Harmony Gold Mining Co. is a South African gold mining and exploration company that has operations in South Africa and Papua New Guinea. The company has several mining projects — including Hidden Valley, Joel and Masimong — and produces gold, silver and copper.
- YTD performance: 115.3 percent
- Five-year annualized returns: 45.3 percent
- P/E ratio: 17.7
- Trailing 12-month dividend yield: 1 percent
- Market cap: $10.9 billion
2. Orla Mining Ltd. (ORLA)
Orla Mining Ltd., a Canadian company, explores new mineral deposits and currently operates two gold mines: Camino Rojo in Mexico and Musselwhite in Canada. Orla is also exploring mining in Panama and the U.S.
- YTD performance: 103.4 percent
- Five-year annualized returns: 45.1 percent
- P/E ratio: 44.7
- Trailing 12-month dividend yield: N/A
- Market cap: $3.7 billion
3. AngloGold Ashanti PLC (AU)
AngloGold Ashanti is one of the biggest gold mining companies in the world. Its mining operations span across four continents, including Africa, Australia and the Americas. Most of the company’s money comes from its African mines.
4. Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI)
Gold Fields Ltd. is a South African mining company that operates nine gold mines in South Africa, Australia, Ghana, Chile and Peru and is exploring mining gold in Canada.
- YTD performance: 83 percent
- Five-year annualized returns: 45 percent
- P/E ratio: 17.7
- Trailing 12-month dividend yield: 2.3 percent
- Market cap: $21.7 billion
5. SSR Mining Inc. (SSRM)
Colorado-based SSR Mining Inc. currently mines gold and other precious metals in the U.S., Canada and Argentina. It owns and operates three gold mines — Marigold in Nevada, Cripple Creek and Victor in Colorado and Seabee in Canada — along with a silver mine in Argentina.
- YTD performance: 55.8 percent
- Five-year annualized returns: -5.1 percent
- P/E ratio: 42.95
- Trailing 12-month dividend yield: 0
- Market cap: $2.1 billion
How to invest in gold stocks
If you’re looking to invest in gold stocks, you have two options.
- Individual stocks: You can purchase and hold gold stocks in a brokerage account or a retirement account, such as an IRA. Some brokerages even let you buy fractional shares of stocks.
- Gold ETFs: Through gold ETFs, you can invest in funds that hold shares in gold mining companies, including small-cap operations like Harmony.
Before you buy, consider how investing in gold stocks fits into your long-term investing strategy, research the companies you may want to hold and keep your asset mix in mind.
Need an advisor?
If you’re looking for expert guidance when it comes to managing your investments or planning for retirement, Bankrate’s AdvisorMatch can connect you to a CFP® professional to help you achieve your financial goals.
Bottom line
As gold continues to hit all-time highs, there are a few ways to gain exposure, including owning physical gold, opening a gold IRA or buying into the production side through mining stocks. Each asset, though, is affected by the rise and fall of gold prices, other factors aside.
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