AEM vs. NEM: Which Gold Mining Giant Should You Invest in Now?

Anindya Barman September 24, 2026

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Key Takeaways

Agnico Eagle is advancing key projects while boosting cash flow, buybacks and dividends.
NEM expanded liquidity and free cash flow as it ramped up Ahafo North production.
Both miners are exposed to higher production costs in 2026, weighing on margins.

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM - Free Report) and Newmont Corporation (NEM - Free Report) are two prominent players in the gold mining space with global operations and diversified portfolios. Although gold prices have retreated sharply from their January 2026 peak, they continue to remain at supportive levels. Against this backdrop, comparing the two industry giants is particularly relevant for investors seeking exposure to the precious metals sector.

Gold has come under renewed pressure after reaching a more than three-month high near $4,650 per ounce in late August 2026. Bullion prices fell toward $4,300 an ounce following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike, its first in more than three years, and expectations of another increase before the year-end. A stronger U.S. dollar and an uptick in oil prices following the recent pullback have put pressure on gold lately. Gold prices remain roughly 15% higher year over year despite the recent retreat.

Let’s dive deep and closely compare the fundamentals of these two mining giants to determine which one is a better investment now.

The Case for Agnico Eagle

Agnico Eagle is focused on executing projects that are expected to provide additional growth in production and cash flows. It is advancing its key value drivers and pipeline projects, including the Odyssey project in the Canadian Malartic Complex, Detour Lake, Hope Bay, Upper Beaver and San Nicolas.

The merger with Kirkland Lake Gold established Agnico Eagle as the industry's highest-quality senior gold producer. The integrated entity now has an extensive pipeline of development and exploration projects to drive sustainable growth. It also has the financial flexibility to fund a strong pipeline of growth projects.

AEM has a robust liquidity position and generates substantial cash flows, which enable it to maintain a strong exploration budget, finance a strong pipeline of growth projects, pay down debt and drive shareholder value. Its operating cash flow for full-year 2025 was a record $6.8 billion, driven by operational efficiencies. Operating cash flow was roughly $2.1 billion in the second quarter, up around 16% from the year-ago quarter.

AEM generated record second-quarter free cash flow of roughly $1.3 billion, driven by higher realized gold prices, cost control and strong operational results. The company remains focused on paying down debt using excess cash, with total long-term debt reducing by roughly $950 million in 2025. AEM had a total long-term debt of $197 million at the end of the second quarter. It ended the quarter with a significant net cash position of roughly $3.3 billion, driven by an increase in cash.

AEM also returned $1 billion in the first half of 2026 through dividends and share buybacks, including a record $625 million in the second quarter. It repurchased shares worth $550 million in the first half and raised the quarterly dividend by 12.5% to 45 cents per share. The company plans to return 40% of its annual free cash flow to its shareholders. AEM offers a dividend yield of 0.9% at the current stock price. It has a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 2.7% and a payout ratio of 16%.

Agnico Eagle, however, remains exposed to higher production costs. Its all-in-sustaining costs (AISC) — a critical cost metric for miners — were $1,459 per ounce in the second quarter, marking a roughly 14% year-over-year rise, impacted by higher total cash costs and an uptick in sustaining capital expenditures. Total cash costs per ounce for gold were $1,054, 14% higher than $925 a year ago. Total cash costs rose due to increased royalty costs, higher labor and energy costs and lower production.

AEM forecasts total cash costs per ounce in the range of $1,020 to $1,120 and AISC per ounce between $1,400 and $1,550 for 2026, suggesting a year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the respective ranges. Higher production costs warrant caution, as they will likely weigh on profitability.

Agnico Eagle saw less production in the first half of 2026 due to lower grades and throughput across certain mines. Production also fell in the second quarter, impacted by reduced production from Canadian Malartic. Barnat pit wall movement is a key near-term operational risk. A rock mass movement at the Barnat open pit at Canadian Malartic involved roughly one million tons of material. Mining was suspended at the pit, with remediation expected in the third quarter and mining resumption anticipated in the fourth quarter.

The event is projected to reduce gold production at Canadian Malartic by 60,000-80,000 ounces in the second half of 2026. For full-year 2026, the company expects gold production near the lower end of its 3.3 million to 3.5 million ounces guidance, reflecting the preliminary redesign of the Barnat open pit. The reduced production base is likely to keep per-ounce costs elevated, potentially limiting margin expansion.

The Case for Newmont

Newmont continues to invest in growth projects in a calculated manner. The company is pursuing several projects, including the Cadia Panel Caves and Tanami Expansion 2 in Australia. These projects should expand Newmont’s production capacity and extend mine life, driving revenues and profits. NEM has recommenced work at the Cadia panel cave project following the seismic event in April. The Tanami expansion is progressing with an expected completion of all underground infrastructure by the end of the third quarter of 2026.

In October 2025, NEM achieved commercial production at Ahafo North, which followed the first gold pour in September 2025. Ahafo North is expected to produce between 275,000 and 325,000 ounces of gold annually over an estimated mine life of 13 years.

NEM has also received key regulatory approvals from the Province of British Columbia for its Red Chris Block Cave Project, marking a major milestone in the planned transformation of the Red Chris Mine from an open-pit operation to a large-scale block-cave mine. The approvals take the project closer to the final investment decision.

Newmont has a strong liquidity position and generates substantial cash flows, which allow it to fund its growth projects, meet short-term debt obligations and drive shareholder value. At the end of the second quarter of 2026, Newmont had robust liquidity of roughly $13 billion, including cash and cash equivalents of around $9 billion. Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $2.9 billion, up roughly 23% from the year-ago quarter. Its free cash flow climbed 29% year over year to a record $2.2 billion, led by an increase in net cash from operating activities.

Newmont distributed $3.4 billion to its shareholders through dividends and share repurchases in 2025. It has returned $1.9 billion to its shareholders since April 23, 2026. Newmont has executed buybacks under the current $6 billion authorized share repurchase program, with $4.3 billion remaining under it. NEM offers a dividend yield of 0.8% at the current stock price. Its payout ratio is 11%.

Newmont also remains committed to deleveraging, reducing debt by roughly $3.4 billion in 2025. It ended the second quarter with a strong net cash position of $3.4 billion and remains actively focused on managing its debt.

NEM saw lower gold production for the second quarter, partly linked to its strategic divestment of non-core assets. The company reported a roughly 13% year-over-year and 1% sequential decline in attributable gold production to 1.29 million ounces. Lower output from Cadia and reduced grades across certain mines impacted production. Newmont expects third-quarter 2026 production to be largely in line with the second-quarter level.

The company anticipates gold production at about 5.26 million ounces for 2026, indicating a year-over-year decline from 5.89 million ounces in 2025. NEM expects lower production from Penasquito and Cadia in 2026 due to site transitions. It also sees lower-than-expected production from Nevada Gold Mines and Pueblo Viejo. These will be partly offset by contributions from the newly commissioned Ahafo North mine.

Lower production is expected to lead to higher unit costs in 2026. NEM expects AISC to be $1,680 per ounce on a by-product basis, indicating a notable increase from $1,358 per ounce in 2025. The anticipated increase is due to lower sales volumes as a result of planned mine sequencing, higher royalties and production taxes, deferral of sustaining capital from 2025 into 2026 and inventory changes. Newmont also sees a sequential rise in unit costs in the third quarter, mainly due to increased sustaining capital spending and higher oil prices.

AEM & NEM: Price Performance, Valuation & Other Comparisons

AEM stock has gained 22.3% over the past year, while NEM stock has rallied 47.7% compared with the Zacks Mining – Gold industry’s increase of 31%.