Southern Copper Corporation
- Open
- 172.37
- Day high
- 173.04
- Day low
- 169.55
- Prev close
- 174.26
- Volume
- 89K
- Mkt cap
- $142.9B
- P/E (TTM)
- 28.8
- EPS (TTM)
- $6.01
- P/B
- 12.1
- P/S
- 9.8
- Yield
- 2.13%
- Per share
- $3.68
- ▼Insiders net selling -$56K over the last 3 months (0 open-market buys, 4 sales)
- 🏛Institutions accumulating (13F)
Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO) is a Basic Materials company listed on NYSE. The stock is up 72% over the past year. Over the trailing 3 months, insiders filed 0 open-market buys and 4 sales (SEC Form 4).
Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO) financials & analyst ratings
Fundamentals (TTM)
Analyst consensus · 6 analysts
Source: exchange market data + company filings. Figures are trailing-twelve-month or as most recently reported. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
SCCO earnings date, history & EPS estimates
| Report date | EPS est | EPS actual | Surprise | Revenue | Rev. surprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2026 | $1.88 | $1.92 | +2.1% | $4.3B | +7.5% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | $1.54 | $1.58 | +2.6% | $3.9B | +4.3% |
| Oct 28, 2025 | $1.25 | $1.35 | +8.0% | $3.4B | +5.3% |
| Jul 29, 2025 | $1.11 | $1.22 | +9.9% | $3.1B | +0.1% |
| Apr 25, 2025 | $1.13 | $1.19 | +5.3% | $3.1B | +5.4% |
| Feb 12, 2025 | $1.02 | $1.01 | -1.0% | $2.8B | -2.8% |
| Oct 22, 2024 | $1.11 | $1.15 | +3.6% | $2.9B | -0.8% |
| Jul 19, 2024 | $1.05 | $1.21 | +15.2% | $3.1B | +9.6% |
| Apr 25, 2024 | $0.75 | $0.94 | +24.7% | $2.6B | +4.5% |
| Feb 9, 2024 | $0.73 | $1.17 | +60.3% | $2.3B | — |
| Oct 25, 2023 | $0.74 | $0.80 | +8.1% | $2.5B | -1.4% |
| Aug 1, 2023 | $0.81 | $0.71 | -12.3% | $2.3B | -8.3% |
SCCO insider trading activity (SEC Form 4)
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 2026 | PALOMINO BONILLA LUIS MIGUELdirector | Sell | 4 | $181.00 |
| Jun 2, 2026 | PALOMINO BONILLA LUIS MIGUELdirector | Sell | 100 | $200.00 |
| May 22, 2026 | PALOMINO BONILLA LUIS MIGUELdirector | Sell | 100 | $175.80 |
| May 18, 2026 | PALOMINO BONILLA LUIS MIGUELdirector | Sell | 100 | $178.20 |
| May 6, 2026 | Arrigunaga Gomez del Campo Javierdirector | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | ARIZTEGUI ANDREVE VICENTEdirector | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | Valenzuela Rionda Jose Pedrodirector | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | Castillo Sanchez Mejorada Enriquedirector | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | SACRISTAN CARLOS RUIZdirector | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | PALOMINO BONILLA LUIS MIGUELdirector | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | VELASCO GERMAN LARREA MOTAdirector, officer: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD | Grant | 400 | — |
| May 6, 2026 | Contreras Lerdo de Tejada Leonardodirector, officer: Chief Executive Officer | Grant | 400 | — |
| Apr 22, 2026 | VELASCO GERMAN LARREA MOTAdirector, officer: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD | Grant | 400 | — |
| Apr 22, 2026 | VELASCO GERMAN LARREA MOTAdirector, officer: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD | Grant | 200 | — |
| Mar 2, 2026 | Castillo Sanchez Mejorada Enriquedirector | Sell | 4,587 | $217.39 |
Source: SCCO SEC Form 4 filings, latest Jun 5, 2026. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
See the full SCCO insider & 13F page →Southern Copper Corporation company profile
Overview
Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE:SCCO) is one of the world's largest integrated copper producers, founded in 1952 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The company operates as a subsidiary of Americas Mining Corporation and has been publicly traded since 1996. Southern Copper conducts mining, smelting, and refining operations across Latin America, with major facilities in Peru and Mexico. The company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become a dominant force in copper production, while also producing significant quantities of molybdenum, silver, zinc, and other metals.
Business
Southern Copper Corporation operates in the copper mining and metals production industry, which involves extracting copper ore from the earth and processing it into refined copper products used in electrical wiring, construction, electronics, and renewable energy infrastructure. Copper is considered a critical industrial metal due to its excellent electrical conductivity properties, making it essential for power transmission, electric vehicles, and green energy technologies. The company operates through an integrated business model spanning the entire copper value chain. Copper production represents approximately 76% of total sales, making it the dominant revenue driver. The company extracts copper ore from large open-pit mines, processes it through concentrators to produce copper concentrates, then smelts these concentrates into blister and anode copper, and finally refines them into high-purity copper cathodes ready for industrial use. Beyond copper, Southern Copper produces several valuable byproducts. Molybdenum accounts for about 12% of sales - this metal is used primarily as an alloying agent to strengthen steel and is critical in aerospace and energy applications. Silver represents approximately 5% of sales, extracted as a byproduct from copper processing and sold to precious metals markets. Zinc comprises about 4% of sales, with production significantly expanding following the completion of the Buenavista zinc concentrator. The remaining 3% comes from other metals including lead, gold, and coal. The company operates major mining complexes including the Toquepala and Cuajone open-pit mines in Peru, along with integrated smelting and refining facilities. In Mexico, it operates the La Caridad and Buenavista open-pit copper mines, each with associated processing infrastructure including concentrators, SX-EW (solvent extraction-electrowinning) plants, smelters, and refineries. The company also operates five underground mines producing zinc, lead, copper, silver, and gold, plus a coal mine and zinc refinery.
Revenue model
Southern Copper generates revenue primarily through direct product sales of refined metals to industrial customers, commodity traders, and manufacturers worldwide. The company sells copper cathodes, copper concentrates, molybdenum concentrates, refined silver, zinc concentrates, and other metal products at prevailing market prices, which fluctuate based on global supply and demand dynamics. The company's customers include electrical equipment manufacturers, construction companies, automotive producers (especially electric vehicle manufacturers), renewable energy companies, and metal trading firms. Revenue is heavily influenced by commodity price cycles, with copper prices being the primary driver given copper's dominant share of sales. Several factors significantly impact the company's profitability margins. Commodity price volatility represents the most significant external factor - higher copper, molybdenum, and silver prices directly increase revenues without proportional cost increases, dramatically improving margins. Conversely, price declines can quickly compress profitability. Byproduct credits are crucial for cost management, as revenue from molybdenum, silver, and zinc production helps offset copper production costs, with the company reporting cash costs of $0.76 per pound of copper after byproduct credits. Operational factors affecting margins include ore grade quality (higher grades reduce processing costs per unit of metal produced), energy costs (mining and smelting are energy-intensive), labor costs and productivity, and equipment maintenance expenses. Regulatory and political risks in Peru and Mexico can impact operations through mining stoppages, environmental compliance costs, or changes in taxation. Currency fluctuations affect costs since operations are in Latin America while sales are often denominated in US dollars. Water availability is critical for mining operations, particularly at the Buenavista mine where water supply challenges have impacted production levels.
Competitive moat
Southern Copper possesses a moderately strong economic moat based primarily on its high-quality, long-life mining assets and integrated operations, though this moat faces some competitive pressures and regulatory challenges. The company's primary competitive advantage stems from its world-class copper deposits with relatively low production costs. Operations like Toquepala and Cuajone in Peru and La Caridad and Buenavista in Mexico are large-scale, open-pit mines with long reserve lives and favorable ore grades. These assets provide decades of production visibility and economies of scale that smaller competitors cannot match. The company's cash costs of $0.76 per pound (after byproduct credits) position it in the lower half of the global cost curve, providing resilience during commodity price downturns. Vertical integration strengthens the moat by allowing Southern Copper to capture value across the entire production chain from mining through refining. This integration reduces dependence on third-party processors and provides greater control over product quality and delivery timing. The company's established smelting and refining infrastructure represents significant capital investments that would be difficult and expensive for competitors to replicate. However, the moat faces several challenges. Political and regulatory risks in Peru and Mexico create vulnerability, as demonstrated by the 54-100 days of operational stoppages in 2022 due to local protests and political instability. Environmental and social pressures are intensifying, requiring substantial ongoing investments in community relations and environmental compliance. The Tia Maria project, despite having permits, has faced years of delays due to community opposition. Competition from new copper sources poses a medium-term threat, particularly from Democratic Republic of Congo operations and potential new discoveries. Additionally, technological disruption in copper recycling and alternative materials for electrical applications could impact long-term demand growth, though the green energy transition currently supports strong copper demand fundamentals.
Risks & safety
Southern Copper demonstrates a strong financial position with substantial margin of safety, supported by robust cash generation and conservative debt levels. • Liquidity and Cash Position: $3.26 billion in cash and short-term investments as of Q4 2024, with current ratio of 2.75x and quick ratio of 2.28x, indicating strong ability to meet short-term obligations • Debt Management: Debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76x represents moderate leverage levels, well within manageable range for a capital-intensive mining operation • Cash Generation: Strong free cash flow of $3.39 billion in 2024, demonstrating ability to self-fund operations and growth investments while maintaining dividend payments • Valuation Metrics: Trading at P/E ratio of 20.9x and EV/EBITDA of 11.3x based on 2024 results, representing reasonable valuations for a profitable commodity producer • Operational Resilience: Low-cost production position provides cushion during commodity price downturns, with cash costs significantly below current copper prices • Other Considerations: Geographic concentration in Peru and Mexico creates political risk exposure, though diversified operations across multiple mines reduce single-asset dependency
Recent development
Over the past few years, Southern Copper has focused on strategic capacity expansion and operational optimization while navigating political challenges in its key operating regions. The most significant development has been the completion and ramp-up of the Buenavista zinc concentrator in Mexico, which became fully operational in 2024. This project represents a major diversification initiative, adding approximately 90,200 tons of annual zinc production capacity along with 20,000 tons of additional copper production. The concentrator achieved full production rates ahead of schedule and contributed to a 71% increase in zinc production during Q2 2024. The Tia Maria project in Peru represents the company's most important growth initiative, with activities restarting in July 2024 after years of delays due to community opposition. Management expects to begin mine construction in 2025, with potential production starting in the first half of 2027. The project is projected to produce 120,000 tons of copper cathodes annually and generate significant economic benefits including 600 direct jobs and $17.5 billion in export revenues over 20 years. Southern Copper has also made substantial progress in ESG and sustainability initiatives. The company has increased its renewable electricity consumption to 36% and expects to reduce CO2 emissions by 250,000 tons annually through wind energy adoption. These efforts align with growing investor and regulatory focus on environmental responsibility in mining operations. Operational improvements have included the integration of the Pilares project into La Caridad operations and ongoing investments in technology upgrades across facilities. The company has maintained strong production guidance, targeting over 1 million tons of annual copper production by 2027-2028 with the addition of Tia Maria.
SCCO company profile · for informational purposes only — not investment advice.
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