Rio Tinto (RIO -5.38%) is a diversified global mining company based in the U.K. It produces aluminum, copper, diamonds, gold, industrial minerals, iron ore, and uranium. It also produces other basic materials, including borates, lithium, salt, and titanium dioxide.
The company's copper business consists of two large-scale mining operations:
- Rio Tinto operates the Kennecott mine in Utah. The world-class copper mine also produces silver and gold.
- The company has a 66% interest in Oyu Tolgoi, a copper and gold deposit in Mongolia, one of the largest known deposits in the world. By 2030, Oyu Tolgoi should be the world's fourth-largest copper-producing mine.
Rio Tinto has several copper-related growth projects in the pipeline, including Resolution Copper in the U.S. and Winu in Australia. Discovered in 2017, the Winu copper and gold resource has the potential to become a large-scale mining operation. In 2025, Rio Tinto signed an agreement with Sumitomo Metal Mining to jointly develop its Winu copper-gold project. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto and BHP Group expect to open the Resolution Copper mine by the mid-2030s.
In early 2026, Rio Tinto was evaluating an acquisition of rival miner Glencore. A deal would create the world's largest mining company. Glencore is the world's fourth-largest copper miner and a producer of cobalt, coal, nickel, and zinc. While discussions ended in February without a deal due to valuation disagreements, Glencore is optimistic that the companies could have another opportunity to reach an agreement in the future.
Even without Glencore, Rio Tinto's growing copper production should enable it to continue paying attractive dividends. The company aims to return 40% to 60% of its earnings to investors via dividends each year.
How to buy copper stocks
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to invest in copper stocks:
- Open your brokerage app: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
