Southern Copper Corporation is a major global miner focused on copper production and operates in the metal mining industry.
It is one of the world's largest integrated copper producers, distinguished by its low-cost operations and vast, long-life mineral reserves.
Updated: January 14, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on a comprehensive review, SCCO presents a compelling but nuanced investment case.
Technical & Fundamental Outlook: Technically, SCCO is exhibiting remarkable bullish momentum, significantly outperforming the market and trading near its 52-week high. Fundamentally, the company is exceptionally strong, with robust revenue growth, expanding profit margins of nearly 33%, and a very healthy balance sheet. This powerful combination of price action and financial health suggests strong institutional confidence.
Valuation & Risk Considerations: The primary concern is valuation. SCCO appears richly priced with high PE, PB, and EV/EBITDA ratios, indicating that much of its near-term growth may already be factored into the stock price. Investors must also be mindful of its inherent exposure to copper price volatility and geopolitical risks in its operating regions.
Recommendation: SCCO is a high-quality company on a powerful uptrend, making it a candidate for investment. However, its premium valuation demands caution. A strategic approach would be to consider buying on any meaningful price pullbacks, which would offer a better margin of safety. This allows participation in its strong operational story while mitigating valuation risk.
*Note: This is not investment advice, for reference only.*
Based on the comprehensive analysis provided, here is a 12-month outlook for SCCO (Southern Copper Corp):
12-Month Outlook for SCCO
The outlook for SCCO over the next year is positive, driven by the strong fundamental backdrop for copper, but tempered by its premium valuation. Key catalysts will be sustained high copper prices fueled by global electrification trends and supply constraints, which should continue to support its robust revenue and margins. The primary risk is a significant correction in copper prices or a broader market downturn that could disproportionately impact the stock given its rich valuation multiples. While a specific analyst target is unavailable, the stock's performance is likely to be volatile but generally upward-trending, with significant pullbacks offering more attractive entry points than chasing the current highs.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about SCCO's 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $180.26, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, SCCO has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
SCCO has exhibited exceptionally strong performance over the past three months, significantly outperforming the broader market with impressive double-digit gains. The stock is currently trading very close to its 52-week high, reflecting sustained bullish momentum over the intermediate term. Recent performance shows extraordinary strength, with SCCO surging 18.11% over the past month alone following a substantial 34.68% gain over three months, dramatically outpacing the market by over 31 percentage points during this period. This accelerated upward momentum, combined with a beta slightly above 1, indicates the stock has delivered superior returns with only marginally higher volatility than the market.
Currently trading at $174.37, SCCO sits just 1.7% below its 52-week high of $177.39, having recovered strongly from its 52-week low of $72.747 and demonstrating a remarkable 140% increase from that trough. While the minimal distance from the yearly peak suggests the stock is in overbought territory, the consistent upward trajectory and massive outperformance relative to the market indicate sustained institutional confidence. The 25.47% maximum drawdown over the past year appears modest given the stock's extraordinary recovery and current proximity to record highs, though caution is warranted given the extended valuation.
| Period | SCCO Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | +26.6% | +1.3% |
| 3m | +45.3% | +5.7% |
| 6m | +83.8% | +10.6% |
| 1y | +92.6% | +16.5% |
| ytd | +21.2% | +1.1% |
Revenue & Profitability SCCO demonstrated solid revenue growth, increasing from $3.05 billion in Q2 to $3.38 billion in Q3 2025. Profitability improved substantially with net income rising from $974 million to $1.11 billion quarter-over-quarter, while the net profit margin expanded to 32.8%. The company maintains strong operational leverage with an operating income ratio exceeding 52%.
Financial Health The company exhibits exceptional liquidity with a current ratio of 4.52 and maintains a conservative debt profile with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Strong interest coverage of 19.4x indicates comfortable debt servicing capacity, though the cash flow to debt ratio of 0.21 suggests moderate free cash flow generation relative to outstanding obligations.
Operational Efficiency SCCO delivers solid returns with ROE of 10.6% and ROCE of 9.5%, though asset turnover remains low at 0.17. The cash conversion cycle of 67 days reflects efficient working capital management, while the operating cash flow to sales ratio of 46.2% indicates strong cash generation from core operations.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardValuation Level: SCCO appears richly valued based on its current metrics. It trades at a trailing PE of 36.62 and a forward PE of 22.53, which are elevated, especially considering its high PEG ratio of 1.68, suggesting its earnings growth does not fully justify its price. Furthermore, its exceptionally high Price-to-Book (PB) ratio of 13.71 and Price-to-Sales (PS) ratio of 11.55, combined with a very high EV/EBITDA of 51.06, collectively signal significant overvaluation relative to its fundamental earnings and asset base.
Peer Comparison: A conclusive peer comparison cannot be performed as the specific industry average data is unavailable. However, the company's high multiples across the board (PE, PB, PS, EV/EBITDA) would typically be difficult to sustain unless it operates in a niche or high-growth sector. To properly assess its relative value, a comparison with the average valuation ratios of its direct industry competitors is essential.
SCCO demonstrates moderate volatility risk, with a beta of 1.065 indicating its price movements are generally in line with the broader market but slightly more amplified. The significant maximum drawdown of -25.47% over the past year highlights the substantial loss an investor could have experienced during market downturns, underscoring the stock's exposure to cyclical swings in commodity prices, particularly copper.
The absence of notable short interest suggests that the market does not currently harbor a strong pessimistic view on the stock's immediate prospects. However, as a company heavily reliant on copper mining, SCCO faces inherent operational and geopolitical risks, including potential labor disputes, regulatory changes in key operating regions like Peru and Mexico, and fluctuations in global copper demand that can impact revenue regardless of its trading liquidity.
Neutral to Bearish. While SCCO boasts strong fundamentals, production growth plans, and benefits from positive copper market momentum, the stock appears significantly overvalued with a high P/E ratio after a recent major price surge. Furthermore, analysts are largely bearish, highlighting near-term headwinds. This stock is currently more suitable for speculative investors comfortable with commodity price volatility rather than value-focused or conservative investors.
Based on its current valuation metrics, SCCO appears moderately overvalued. Its trailing PE of 36.6 and price-to-sales ratio of 11.6 are exceptionally high relative to typical industrial/metals sector averages (which normally feature single-digit or low-teens multiples). Even though SCCO demonstrates strong profitability with a 32.8% net margin and improved earnings, valuation multiples this elevated suggest the market has already priced in significant growth expectations. The PEG ratio of 1.7 further indicates the stock price may be outpacing its earnings growth potential, pointing toward overvaluation despite the company's solid fundamental performance.
Based on the provided information, here are the key risks of holding SCCO stock, ordered by importance:
1. Market/Commodity Risk: The stock's value is highly susceptible to significant downturns tied to cyclical swings in global copper prices, as evidenced by its substantial -25.47% maximum drawdown over the past year. 2. Business/Operational Risk: Operations face inherent threats from geopolitical and regulatory uncertainties in its key operating regions (Peru and Mexico), which could disrupt production and impact revenue. 3. Valuation/Timing Risk: After a dramatic 140% surge from its low, the stock is trading near its 52-week high, suggesting it may be overbought and vulnerable to a price correction despite strong recent momentum.
Based on the provided analysis and copper market dynamics, here is a forecast for SCCO stock performance through 2026:
My base-case target price for 2026 is $185-$210, with a bull-case target of $230+ if copper prices remain persistently high above $5/lb. The key growth drivers are sustained high copper prices fueled by global electrification and supply constraints, SCCO's industry-leading profit margins above 30%, and its strong financial health enabling disciplined capital allocation. This forecast assumes copper demand continues to outstrip supply and that SCCO maintains its operational efficiency; however, the outlook is highly sensitive to commodity price volatility and potential global economic slowdowns. Consequently, while the long-term trend is positive, the path to 2026 will likely be uneven with significant volatility.