After spending the past six months at no better than a three-star rank, Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM) has impressed enough top-performing members of our 160,000-strong Motley Fool CAPS community to touch the four-star level, one star short of the top. A total of 343 members have given their opinion on the precious-metals miner, with many offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.

Rising silver prices have driven some solid results for silver producers around the world, and with Silvercorp's low cost of production, many CAPS members think it's a great play on the precious metal. The company recently followed up a strong fiscal third quarter with a 688% year-over-year jump in fourth-quarter earnings.

Cash costs of silver came in at negative $5.64 per ounce, which is even lower than Hecla Mining's (NYSE: HL) negative $3.03 per ounce and far lower than the positive cash costs Coeur d'Alene Mines (NYSE: CDE) sports. While Silvercorp's production is still a fraction that of silver sector leader Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW), which forecasts 23.5 million ounces this year, Silvercorp delivered its fourth consecutive year of silver production growth and pulled in record annual production of 4.62 million ounces.

Large, diversified miners such as BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) and Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) also recently reported big increases in quarterly silver production: 32% and 22%, respectively. For its part, Silvercorp expects more growth in silver output this fiscal year than last, with production continuing to ramp up at several of its Chinese mines, which bring in most of its production.

The company also sees growth potential in its recently acquired Silvertip Project in British Columbia, which it purchased from Silver Standard Resources (Nasdaq: SSRI). Silver Standard has big projects of its own in the province, which is seen as an area ripe for mining. With the positive momentum behind new developments and the added benefit of dividends from the stock, more CAPS members are making a bullish call on Silvercorp.

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