RE: Mkt Cap per oz ComparisonsOne thing you must take into account, large open pittable mines need much lower ore values to be economic. Underground narrow veins are much harder to make a profit with. There are very few pure silver miners out there. Most have a byproduct of some sort , and indeed some are even more of a base metals play with silver as the gravy, since they producer several times more tonnage in base metals as compared to silver.
SVM i consider one of the bellweather silver miners, and have incredibly rich underground veins, and the base metals profits MORE than pay all the mining costs. They will likely produce over 5.3 milllion ozs of that silver gravy in the year just ended. They are bringing a goldmine online this Q , unbelievably low cost at 25$ per tonne estimated.
Point is , all these are not created equal, some have big wads of cash with no debt , some have debts( with very little cash) , some have open pit potential , some arent even producers , and some may never be. Some have great management , some not so great and others very questionable. You have to take all this into account , as WELL AS size of resources and grade.
SLX has the potential to be a big one, it has growth thru both expansion of production and exploration , and the future may likely also include a lower grade open pit to go along with the rich underground resources. Right now they are a very small , but emerging producer who has little debt , some cash in the kitty and big exploration potential.
Great long term hold imo.