Top 5 Junior Copper Stocks on the TSXV (Updated June 2022)

1. Max Resource (TSXV:MXR)

Year-to-date gain: 153.06 percent; market capitalization: C$105.78 million; current share price: C$0.62

Max Resource is a copper and gold exploration company that describes itself as “one of the true mineral explorers.” Its Cesar copper-silver project in Colombia is part of the Andean belt, and the company made three high-grade discoveries as part of its 2020/2021 exploration at the property. Max will continue exploration at the asset into 2022; it also has the right to acquire 100 percent of the RT gold project in Peru.

Max gained momentum in March and April after seeing slow gains earlier in the year. In March, the company announced that its cooperation and financing agreement with Endeavour Silver (TSX:EDR,NYSE:EXK) for the Cesar project had been finalized. Endeavour will assist Max in “significantly expanding its landholdings.” The company’s share price saw its biggest gains in the weeks following March 28, when it closed a C$7.7 million private placement.

Shares of Max reached a new height of C$0.82 after a new high-grade discovery at Cesar's URU zone, including assays grading 8.3 percent copper and 146 grams per metric ton silver over 16.8 meters. The company went on to close further private placements in May and June, resulting in C$17.7 million. Max's most recent news came on June 13, when it announced a new high-grade copper discovery on trend of the URU zone.

2. ATEX Resources (TSXV:ATX)

Year-to-date gain: 111.11 percent; market capitalization: C$70.94; current share price: C$0.76

ATEX Resources is focused on projects in Latin America. The company’s flagship asset is its Valeriano project — located in the Atacama region of Chile — which hosts a copper-gold porphyry deposit, as well as a near-surface oxidized epithermal gold deposit. ATEX is performing further exploration in Chile as well. According to the company, it is using “techniques developed by ATEX’s management team which have proven successful, resulting in a number of significant precious metal deposits discoveries.”

ATEX has focused on a Phase 2 drilling program at Valeriano in 2022, which commenced in late January and concluded on May 11. The company’s share price reached its year-to-date high of C$0.89 on April 6, less than a week before ATEX shared an exploration update on drilling at Valeriano, saying it had been successful so far in expanding the footprint of the porphyry system. Following the conclusion of the drill program, ATEX released highlights, including 1,160 meters grading 0.78 percent copper equivalent.

3. Barksdale Resources (TSXV:BRO)

Year-to-date gain: 57.14 percent; market capitalization: C$34.37 million; current share price: C$0.50

Although Barksdale Resources used to be focused on both precious and base metals exploration, the company has pivoted to focus only on base metals projects, in particular the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects in Arizona and the San Javier copper-gold project in Mexico.

Barksdale’s share price has been elevated since early March, when it spiked to an early peak of C$0.60 on March 9 before hovering around the C$0.45 mark through mid-May. On April 4, Barksdale shared that the US Forest Service had approved the company’s drill program at San Antonio.

The majority of Barksdale’s exploration work has been focused on San Javier in 2022. In late April, the company released drill results at the project that expanded the footprint of the Cerro Verde copper zone. Barksdale’s share price reached a year-to-date high of C$0.70 on May 27, the day after the company engaged Independent Mining Consultants to review the drilling data and technical information from San Javier and create a resource estimate and NI 43-101 technical report for the project’s Cerro Verde zone. The firm's latest news was positive results from metallurgical test work on drill cores from San Javier.

4. Cordoba Minerals (TSXV:CDB)

Year-to-date gain: 45.83 percent; market capitalization: C$62.38 million; current share price: C$0.70

Cordoba Minerals is a copper and gold company working on its flagship 100 percent owned San Matias copper-gold-silver project in Colombia, which includes 20,000 hectares near two operating open-pit mines and access to the national power grid. The company also has a 51 percent interest in the Perseverance copper project in Arizona, US; Cordoba has an earn-in agreement for it with Bell Copper (TSXV:BCU,OTCQB:BCUFF).

Cordoba’s share price peaked early, with a year-to-date high of C$0.79 on February 10. While it then dropped off, falling to a yearly low of C$0.35 on May 10, it rebounded in mid-May. On May 27, Cordoba announced the results of 2,152.7 meters of diamond drilling at San Matias. From here, the company is beginning a feasibility study at the project that will focus on updating the mine plan and mineral resource estimate at San Matias’ Alacran deposit.

5. NGEx Minerals (TSXV:NGEX)

Year-to-date gain: 40 percent; market capitalization: C$419.93 million; current share price: C$2.59

NGEx Minerals is focused on copper and gold. Its primary asset is the Los Helados copper-gold project in Chile, and it also has a portfolio of exploration properties in Argentina, including the Valle Ancho copper-gold project. NGEx owns 64 percent of Los Helados, sharing ownership with Nippon Caserones Resources. The project is close to the Caserones mine operated by Nippon Caserones, allowing Los Helados access to that mining infrastructure.

NGEx’s share price hit a year-to-date high of C$4.09 on April 12, the day before the company shared its 2021 results and an exploration update. Throughout the year, it has been focused on exploration at both its Valle Ancho and Los Helados projects. In May, NGEx announced the discovery of a new copper-gold porphyry at Valle Ancho, and the company has shared multiple exploration updates for Los Helados, most recently the discovery of a new high-grade copper-gold mineralization zone.

Company shares fell off through late April into May, but saw a bump after the release of its Q1 results on May 19.