AG vs BTG: How AG and B2Gold Compare (2026)

Last updated July 2026

Short answer

AG is the larger of the two ($8.47B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (14.86x forward earnings, beta 2.11). BTG is the smaller challenger ($5.09B), cheaper on forward earnings (3.22x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.

AG vs BTG: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of July 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

MetricAGBTGWhat it tells you
Market cap$8.47B$5.09BSize. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove.
Forward P/E14.863.22Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Trailing P/E29.0810.05Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price.
Beta2.111.30Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range39% of range17% of rangeWhere today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.
Price / book2.931.39How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price.

Reading it: BTG is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

Before you buy: how AG and BTG affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. AG and BTG share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined AG and BTG exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does AG (AG) do?

First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE: AG) is a precious-metals producer that operates four underground mines in Mexico: San Dimas in Durango, Santa Elena in Sonora, La Encantada in Coahuila, and Cerro Los Gatos in Chihuahua. The company mines silver and gold as its primary products, along with byproduct zinc, lead, and copper. In January 2025 First Majestic completed its roughly $1.05 billion all-stock acquisition of Gatos Silver, adding a 70% interest in the Los Gatos joint venture and lifting 2025 silver production to a record 15.4 million ounces, up about 84% from the prior year.

Full AG guide

What does B2Gold (BTG) do?

B2Gold Corp (BTG) is a Vancouver-based intermediate gold producer. Its established operations are the Fekola complex in Mali, the Masbate mine in the Philippines, and the Otjikoto mine in Namibia, and in 2025 it brought its Goose mine in Nunavut, Canada into production, reaching commercial production on October 2, 2025. The company makes money by mining and selling gold (with some silver byproduct), so its revenue and margins are driven by the volume of ounces produced and the prevailing gold price relative to its mining costs. In 2025 B2Gold produced roughly 980,000 ounces of gold and reported record annual revenue of over $3 billion.

Full BTG guide

AG vs BTG: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

  • AG drivers: Silver and gold price leverage; Los Gatos integration and scale.
  • BTG drivers: Goose mine ramp; Gold-price leverage.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The single largest risk is the silver price itself: a sustained decline would compress margins far faster than the metal falls because mining costs are largely fixed. For BTG, b2Gold's results are highly cyclical and move with the gold price, which is volatile and outside the company's control, so margins and the share price can swing sharply.

AG or BTG: which should you pick?

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick AG if you believe its drivers more; BTG if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the AG and BTG guides.

AG vs BTG: the full fundamentals

AG. First Majestic posted record Q1 2026 revenue of about $476.7 million, up roughly 95% year over year, with net earnings near $128 million and EPS around $0.26 as silver and gold prices surged. The stock trades at a trailing P/E in the low 30s and a forward P/E near 18, reflecting expectations that elevated metal prices continue. The dividend yield is negligible (well under 1%), so the return case rests almost entirely on the metal price and production.

BTG. B2Gold's financials are commodity-driven: revenue, earnings, and valuation are dominated by the gold price and by how many ounces it produces relative to its costs. Record 2025 revenue and strong Q1 2026 cash flow reflected high gold prices, while 2026 guidance of lower production and elevated all-in sustaining costs reflects the transitional Goose ramp. Gold-producer multiples often look low in strong-price years because investors discount the cyclicality of commodity earnings.

Headline figures (approximate, Q1 2026): AG shows q1 2026 revenue ~$477M, q1 2026 net earnings ~$128M, q1 2026 eps ~$0.26, q1 2026 free cash flow ~$224M; BTG shows revenue (2025 full year) ~$3.0 billion (record annual revenue, over $3 billion), gold production (2025) ~980,000 ounces (Fekola, Masbate, Otjikoto ~926,000 plus Goose ~53,000), 2026 production guidance ~820,000 to 970,000 ounces, with Goose guided near ~250,000 ounces, all-in sustaining costs (q1 2026) ~$1,964 per ounce, with cash operating costs ~$1,005 per ounce.

The bottom line: AG vs BTG

AG and BTG are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined AG and BTG exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Build a basket around AG with Walnut

Use AG as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.

FAQ

What is the difference between AG and BTG?

+

First Majestic Silver Corp. B2Gold Corp (BTG) is a Vancouver-based intermediate gold producer. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.

Is AG or BTG the better stock?

+

Neither is universally better. AG is the larger incumbent; BTG is the smaller challenger and looks cheaper on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, AG or BTG?

+

On forward P/E (as of July 2026), AG trades at 14.86x and BTG at 3.22x, so BTG is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both AG and BTG?

+

Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of AG vs BTG?

+

AG: The single largest risk is the silver price itself: a sustained decline would compress margins far faster than the metal falls because mining costs are largely fixed. Geographic concentration is severe, with essentially all production in Mexico, exposing the company to peso currency swings, mining royalty and tax changes, permitting delays, and local security or labor disruptions. Rising input costs (energy, labor, consumables) can erode margins even when metal prices are steady. As a smaller producer than majors like Pan American or Fresnillo, AG has less operational diversification to absorb a single mine outage. The stock has historically been highly volatile and can move on sentiment and short interest as much as on fundamentals. BTG: B2Gold's results are highly cyclical and move with the gold price, which is volatile and outside the company's control, so margins and the share price can swing sharply. Jurisdictional and political risk is significant: its flagship Fekola complex sits in Mali, where a tax and mining-code dispute was settled in 2024 but resource-nationalism risk across host countries persists. Operational and cost risk is real, as shown by the Goose crushing-circuit fire trimming near-term output and by all-in sustaining costs running near $1,964 per ounce in Q1 2026. A weaker 2026 production and cost profile during the Goose ramp adds execution risk before expected normalization.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell AG or BTG; figures are approximate and dated (as of July 2026). Verify current data before investing.

    AG vs BTG: How AG and B2Gold Compare (2026), Walnut