NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) and First Colombia Gold (OTCMKTS:FCGD) Head to Head Review

NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) and First Colombia Gold (OTCMKTS:FCGD) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

Volatility & Risk

NioCorp Developments has a beta of -0.18, meaning that its stock price is 118% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Colombia Gold has a beta of 0.05, meaning that its stock price is 95% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for NioCorp Developments and First Colombia Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
NioCorp Developments	1	0	2	0	2.33
First Colombia Gold	0	0	0	0	0.00

NioCorp Developments presently has a consensus target price of $6.63, indicating a potential downside of 18.31%. Given NioCorp Developments’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe NioCorp Developments is more favorable than First Colombia Gold.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares NioCorp Developments and First Colombia Gold”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
NioCorp Developments	N/A	N/A	-$17.41 million	($0.34)	-23.85
First Colombia Gold	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

4.0% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by institutional investors. 19.1% of NioCorp Developments shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of First Colombia Gold shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares NioCorp Developments and First Colombia Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
NioCorp Developments	N/A	-148.03%	-67.84%
First Colombia Gold	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

NioCorp Developments beats First Colombia Gold on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About NioCorp Developments

NioCorp Developments Ltd. engages in the exploration and development of mineral deposits in North America. It owns and develops the Elk Creek niobium/scandium/titanium project that owns one 226.43-acre parcel of land and associated mineral rights, and an additional 40 acres of mineral rights, as well as an optioned land package that covers an area of 1,396 acres located in Johnson County, southeast Nebraska. The company was formerly known as Quantum Rare Earth Developments Corp. and changed its name to NioCorp Developments Ltd. in March 2013. NioCorp Developments Ltd. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.

About First Colombia Gold

First Colombia Gold Corp. engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas properties. The company operates through Energy and Mining divisions. It holds interests in 96 oil wells with a gross acreage of 4,302 acres in the counties of Cumberland, Monroe, Overton, and Clinton. The company is also involved in the precious minerals exploration business. It owns 2 unpatented mining claims in the Skip Silver prospect covering an area of approximately 40 acres in central Montana. The company was formerly known as Amazon Goldsands Ltd. and changed its name to First Colombia Gold Corp. in November 2010. First Colombia Gold Corp. was founded in 1997 and is based in Nashville, Tennessee.