Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: What’s your opinion on Argonaut Gold? Is it a buy for aggressive investors at this time? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Argonaut Gold, $5.14, symbol AR on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 56.1 million; Market cap: $452.3 million; www.argonautgoldinc.com), owns 100% of the El Castillo gold mine in Mexico, plus advanced-stage exploration properties, including La Fortuna, La Colorada and San Antonio, all in Mexico. The company also holds 11 exploration properties in the state of Sonora, Mexico. El Castillo is an open-pit mine located one hour north of the state capital, Durango. El Castillo hosts as much as 2.9 million ounces of gold. The company’s shares have almost doubled since July 2010, mainly because of rising gold prices. But Argonaut’s strong balance sheet (it holds cash of $25.4 million, or $0.40 a share), and earnings from El Castillo (which amounted to $4.2 million, or $0.07 a share, in the latest quarter) should let it keep developing its other properties. Argonaut recently bought Pediment Gold Corp. (symbol PEZ on Toronto) for $137 million in shares. That added the former-producing La Colorada gold mine, which holds as…