In this article, we will take a look at the 10 Best Precious Metal Stocks to Buy After the U.S. Venezuela Mission.
Gold has ‘a long way to go’, according to Alamos Gold CEO John McCluskey. In an interview with Yahoo Finance on January 8, McCluskey highlighted global geopolitical risk and economic uncertainty as key factors driving gold’s rally, citing a promising future with higher investor interest. McCluskey said:
”China and all the countries that trade with China, Russia and countries that trade with Russia, why have they been accumulating gold? You know, it has also to do with the heightened political risk in the world; it has a lot to do with the economic uncertainty created by this new American administration that basically has been very aggressive with the tariff policies and so forth. There’s a whole raft of reasons why gold has been sought after by investors, and frankly, investors are only coming to the table now. I mean, it’s mostly been central bank buying as you pointed out. But, investors are coming to the party now, and I think that’s why gold has a long way to go yet.”
Gold and Silver, both precious metals, have been trading at their all-time high as of January 12. The price of spot gold reached $4,630, up over 1.95% on Monday, while silver reached a record $86.50.
In 2025, the demand for gold reached record highs as it continued the bull rally in 2026. The prices of precious metals are at record levels with higher demand for gold and silver, as well as copper and other industrial metals.
According to Reuters, Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Metals, pointed out that the precious metals traders see more risk on the horizon than stock and bond traders do at present. The analyst further noted that the U.S. raid on Venezuela has fueled continued demand for gold and silver as safe-haven assets.
Researchers at JPMorgan expect 2026 to be another record year for gold and silver, with the gold price pushing toward $5,000 per ounce by the end of 2026. JPMorgan Global Research projects the gold price to average $5,055 per ounce by the end of 2026, rising toward $5,400 per ounce by the end of 2027.
JPMorgan’s analyst has similar views to McCluskey regarding the investors’ interest in the precious metals. Gregory Shearer, head of Base and Precious Metals Strategy at JPMorgan, said:
”While gold’s share of total investor AUM has grown by around one percentage point over the last two years as prices and demand have increased, we still see the potential for this share to rise toward 4–5% over the coming years.”
With that, let’s take a look at the 10 Best Precious Metal Stocks to Buy After the U.S. Venezuela Mission.
Our Methodology
To create our list of the 10 best precious metal stocks to buy, we looked at U.S.-listed companies with exposure to gold, silver, palladium, and other precious metals. We gathered the list from ETFs, industry reports, and Finviz screener to compile the initial list. We have ranked the 10 best precious metal stocks based on the highest analyst upside. We have also added the hedge fund sentiment for each stock, as of Q3 2025, which was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
Note: All the data is as of market close on January 9, 2026.
10. Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM)
Share Price: $124.74
Market Capitalization: $59.33 Billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 38
Analyst Upside: 6.22%
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM) is one of the best precious metals stocks to buy after the U.S. Venezuela mission.
Over the one-year period as of January 9, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM) has skyrocketed over 129%. Out of 18 analysts covering WPM, 94% rate the stock as a Buy with a median price target set at $132.50, indicating an upside of 6.22%.
On December 16, TheFly reported that Berenberg Bank raised its price target on Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM) from $128 to $147. Richard Hatch at Berenberg raised the price target on WPM while maintaining a Buy rating.
Similarly, on December 7, Fahad Tariq of Jefferies raised the price target on WPM from $137 to $138, maintaining his Buy rating. Fahad is positive on Wheaton as he believes a strong 2026 for the metals and mining group, reported TheFly. The analyst remains bullish on gold equities, pointing out attractive valuations. However, Tariq remains cautious on copper stocks given valuations heading into 2026.
Jefferies analyst expects gold companies to increase margins and generate higher FCF in 2026 than in 2025. The longer gold prices remain elevated, the more investor attention will turn to growth, Tariq noted.
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM) is a precious metals firm operating in Europe, Africa, North America, and South America. Wheaton mainly produces gold, and also explores for silver, palladium, platinum, and cobalt deposits.
9. Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ:PPTA)
Share Price: $29.42
Market Capitalization: $3.59 Billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 30
Analyst Upside: 8.77%
Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ:PPTA) is one of the best precious metals stocks to buy after the U.S. Venezuela mission.
Over the last six months, Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ:PPTA) shares have soared by over 107% as of January 9. All analysts covering PPTA remain positive on the stock and have a consensus Buy rating. The analysts’ median 1-year price target of $32 indicates an upside of almost 8.77%.
On December 10, RBC Capital raised its price target on Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ:PPTA) from $28 to $40, maintaining a Buy rating on the shares. RBC’s analyst Michael Siperco believes that the Stibnite project in Idaho presents a large-scale, high-margin gold operation with strategically important antimony byproduct. Siperco sees this as a great opportunity for Perpetua that could increase returns and support funding efforts.
In other news on December 16, Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ:PPTA) reported the hiring of Hatch Ltd. as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCM) contractor for the Stibnite Gold project. Along with this, Hatch will be investing $4 million in Perpetua as the contractor sees potential in the project and believes in the strategic vision of the company.
Hatch’s Private Placement consists of 138,696 common shares of Perpetua Resources at a per share price of $28.24, as per the closing price on December 12, 2025. John Bianchini, CEO of Hatch, said:
Partnering with Perpetua to safely and efficiently deliver this project is our highest priority.
Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ:PPTA) is a development-stage mining company. Perpetua engages in the acquisition of mining properties in the U.S. and explores for gold, silver, and antimony deposits.
8. McEwen Inc. (NYSE:MUX)
Share Price: $20.49
Market Capitalization: $1.12 Billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16
Analyst Upside: 12.25%
McEwen Inc. (NYSE:MUX) is one of the best precious metals stocks to buy after the U.S. Venezuela mission.
On December 16, McEwen Inc. (NYSE:MUX) announced that the Mexican government had granted the extension of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the El Gallo Mine. McEwen can now initiate the Phase 1 Mill construction following this approval, while the company plans to begin the construction in mid-2026. The management anticipates the first gold pour by mid-2027, with the Phase 1 projected to produce approximately 20,000 gold Equivalent Ounces annually once commercial production begins.
In addition to this, the company has also purchased the ball mill located on the site. McEwen has already started work on Phase 2, which focuses on the project’s in-situ silver deposits. This can increase El Gallo’s life well over the initial 10 years contemplated under Phase 1.
In other news, on December 8, McEwen reported that it is expanding its three major areas at its Gold Bar Mine complex in the Eureka Mining District of Nevada. The goal is to enhance resources and increase mine life, leading to higher annual gold production at Lookout Mountain, Windfall, and Unity Ridge. McEwen expects that the integration of these areas into the mine plan can potentially transform the Gold Bar Mine complex into a long-life asset.
McEwen Inc. (NYSE:MUX) is a development-stage gold and silver mining company with operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Argentina. The company is engaged in the exploration, development, and production of gold and silver deposits, as well as copper deposits.