As 2011 comes to a close, it's a great time to look back at what happened to the stocks that interest you. By making sure you know the important things that a company accomplished -- as well as the setbacks it experienced -- you can make a better decision about whether it's a smart investment for your portfolio.
Today, let's take a look at North American Palladium
Stats on North American Palladium
Year-to-Date Stock Return | (65.4%) |
Market Cap | $391 million |
Total Revenue, Trailing 12 Months | $155 million |
Net Loss, Trailing 12 Months | ($3.5 million) |
1-Year Revenue Growth | 134.5% |
CAPS Rating | **** |
Source: S&P Capital IQ.
Why did North American Palladium plunge this year?
North American Palladium is a small Canadian miner with two primary mine properties. Its Sleeping Giant mine in Quebec is a gold mine, but more unusual is the company's Lac des Iles mine, which produces palladium. Despite its lower price -- palladium currently trades between $600 and $700 per ounce -- palladium is a much rarer metal than gold and has significant commercial uses, such as in catalytic converters for auto production.
Moreover, there are relatively few palladium producers. Stillwater Mining
After several years of gains, palladium finally gave back ground in 2011, as one look at the bullion-tracking ETFS Physical Palladium ETF
Investors are undoubtedly scared of North American Palladium falling victim to the same trend that has seen rare-earth metal plays Molycorp
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