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In my previous column, I predicted that the lagging gold market is providing probably the most promising alternative of 2021.

And I mentioned that I’d be again right here quickly as a way to let you know about one gold inventory you should utilize to benefit from that rising alternative.

Right now, I’m going to just do that.

However to get there, first I need you to suppose again to round a yr and a half in the past.

For most folk, June 11, 2019, was a date of no specific significance … however for the subscribers of Fry’s Investment Report, that day on the calendar deserves at the very least a sticky be aware.

That was the day I launched two new gold shares to our portfolio: Wheaton Valuable Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM) and Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:MTA).

Each of those shares are gold royalty performs, reasonably than precise miners, and each of them have carried out admirably since then — not solely in comparison with the S&P 500 but in addition in comparison with their gold-stock friends.

Considerably curiously, whereas these two gold-focused royalty firms have been busy racking up their market-beating performances, the shares of the gold-focused royalty firm I wish to let you know about in the present day have been doing a complete lot of nothing. They’ve gained solely round 18% since June 11, 2019.

This lagging efficiency is one motive I’m now making this firm my InvestorPlace.com Finest Inventory for 2020 contest decide. It’s a lagging inventory in a sector that has been lagging the general market since August.

However over the approaching months, I anticipate this inventory to play catch-up to the remainder of the gold sector as that sector additionally performs catch-up to the broad inventory market …

A New Progress Part Is Underway

Nonetheless, earlier than taking a better have a look at Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. (NYSE:OR), let’s briefly assessment two key phrases: “streaming” and “royalty.”

Beneath a streaming association, the corporate that gives financing receives the suitable to buy at a set value some mounted proportion of the mining firm’s future metallic manufacturing.

In 2017, for instance, Osisko struck a streaming deal to pay $33 million to Taseko Mines Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB) for the suitable to buy Taseko’s share of the primary 5.9 million ounces of silver produced by the Gibraltar copper-silver mine in British Columbia, Canada. After reaching that threshold, Osisko will obtain a smaller proportion of the silver manufacturing.

However importantly, Osisko gained’t be paying market value for the silver it receives below the streaming deal. As a substitute, it’ll pay simply $2.75 per ounce for it. In different phrases, Osisko acquired the suitable to buy future silver manufacturing at an 88% low cost to the present silver value.

That’s a streaming deal: Taseko will get an enormous examine up-front, and Osisko will get a few years of silver manufacturing at an enormous low cost.

A royalty association is barely totally different. With these offers, the corporate that gives the financing receives a proportion of the mining firm’s future manufacturing.

For instance, final yr Metalla gave Atlantic Gold Corp. $3 million in trade for a 1% royalty on the corporate’s Fifteen Mile Stream gold challenge in Nova Scotia, Canada. The royalty covers all metals recovered from the challenge.

In different phrases, Metalla receives 1% of all of the metallic the mine produces.

Now let’s return to the funding case for Osisko …

The corporate is a midsized royalty and streaming firm that holds a portfolio of 138 royalties, streams, and valuable metallic offtake agreements.

Of those 138 property, 16 are in manufacturing, together with the world-class Canadian Malartic gold mine that Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE:AUY) and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE:AEM) function in Quebec.

Fifteen further property are in numerous levels of improvement. Till not too long ago, Osisko additionally owned direct pursuits in a couple of mining initiatives.

Yr after yr, the Montreal-based firm has been rising its portfolio of streaming and royalty offers, which suggests it has been rising its “attributable manufacturing” of valuable metals. Gold accounts for 70% of complete manufacturing, whereas silver accounts for a lot of the relaxation.

For 2020 as a complete, Osisko expects to supply roughly 64,000 gold-equivalent ounces (GEOs) — about 46,000 from royalties and 17,000 from streams.

And as you possibly can see from the chart under, Osisko’s GEOs had been trending steadily increased till not too long ago. Manufacturing progress stalled a bit in 2019, after which dropped much more this yr, as a result of COVID pandemic.

However a brand new progress section is underway. The corporate expects its annual gold equal manufacturing to double over the subsequent three years to greater than 140,000 ounces, primarily based on potential output that’s already within the pipeline.

A doubling of manufacturing in three years could possibly be sufficient of a catalyst to spice up the inventory value considerably. However that’s not the one attainable catalyst.

Actually, there’s a brand-new one: Osisko simply reinvented itself as a pure-play royalty and streaming firm.

Though Osisko has all the time been a gold royalty firm, it has additionally engaged immediately in mining initiatives. This twin focus has meant that Osisko was neither fish nor fowl. It was neither a pure royalty firm nor a pure mining firm.

Usually talking, gold inventory buyers need one or the opposite.

So Osisko gave buyers what they needed. In late November, the corporate finalized a company restructuring that divided its property into two separate publicly traded firms.

Osisko Gold Royalties (OR) retained all 138 of its royalty and streaming property however moved all of its mining initiatives into a brand new firm referred to as Osisko Improvement Corp. (RNGTD).

The brand new Osisko Improvement comes into the world with a pristine, debt-free steadiness sheet that features about $78 million in money and $90 million in publicly traded mining shares. Altogether, Osisko administration values this new firm at $660 million.

For now, Osisko Gold Royalties will retain an 88% curiosity in Osisko Improvement, price about $580 million. Based mostly on that calculation, the remainder of Osisko Gold can be valued at simply $1.57 billion.

Due to this restructuring, Osisko Gold clarifies its identification as a pure-play royalty firm. On the identical time, Osisko Improvement turns into a brand new midtier mining firm with a superb progress profile.

By turning into a pure-play royalty firm, Osisko’s inventory may achieve an upward “re-rating” that might worth the corporate extra consistent with different shares within the gold royalty and streaming sector.

For instance, Osisko is at present buying and selling at about half the valuation of Wheaton Valuable Metals.

Maybe Osisko deserves to commerce at a reduction to Wheaton, one of many premier shares within the royalty sector. However a 50% low cost appears too extreme, primarily based on comparative fundamentals.

So I anticipate this steep low cost to slim over the approaching months.

Moreover, the brand new Osisko Improvement firm may add to Osisko Gold’s funding enchantment…

Osisko’s Many “Hidden” Belongings

As a stand-alone mining firm with a targeted working technique, Osisko Improvement may “unlock” the worth of the property which were considerably hidden contained in the “outdated Osisko.”

Over the subsequent 12 months, Osisko Improvement is on observe to spice up its annual manufacturing from 0 to 100,000 GEOs, after which ramp as much as 275,000 GEOs by 2023. If the corporate delivers that progress, buyers will take discover.

Returning to Osisko Gold Royalties, the analyst consensus expects the corporate to double earnings per share to about $0.55 over the subsequent two years.

At that stage of profitability, the inventory can be buying and selling for 25 instances earnings. However these estimates don’t embrace any potential enhance from rising gold or silver costs.

Nor do these estimates anticipate any upside surprises from the continuing exploration at Canadian Malartic. However upside surprises wouldn’t be a shock in any respect.

The Malartic mine is Canada’s largest working open-pit gold mine. However because the mine’s operators, Yamana and Agnico, advance the challenge from open-pit to underground mining, they’re more likely to improve the confirmed gold reserves by a number of million ounces.

Confirmed reserves on the challenge at present complete about 5 million ounces. However preliminary drilling already signifies that the deeper underground deposits might include at the very least 10 million further ounces.

To be clear, these further ounces aren’t but confirmed; they’re inferred. However at a prolific gold mine like Malartic, inferred ounces normally develop into confirmed finally.

If Yamana and Agnico show the extra hundreds of thousands of ounces they consider Malartic incorporates, the share costs of all three firms may pop on the information.

However Osisko’s market worth is simply one-third the scale of Yamana’s and one-tenth the scale of Agnico’s. So, favorable information may trigger Osisko’s share value to do much more popping.

Backside line: Quite a lot of favorable catalysts may mix to spice up Osisko’s share value considerably in 2021 … and past.

On the date of publication, Eric Fry didn’t have (both immediately or not directly) any positions within the securities talked about on this article.

Eric Fry is an award-winning stock picker with quite a few “10-bagger” calls — in good markets AND unhealthy. How? By discovering potent world megatrends … earlier than they take off. And relating to bear markets, you’ll wish to have his “blueprint” in hand before stocks go south.