Clean Comparison — Five-Part Investor Checklist

Start with the cost trajectory — especially AISC — and whether costs are stabilizing or creeping higher.

Look at output direction and what’s driving it: ramp-ups, grades, recoveries, or operational execution.

Strength matters in a cyclical sector: liquidity, leverage, and flexibility if gold prices move.

Assess asset quality and where production comes from — concentration, mine life, and geography mix.

Focus on payouts and how explicitly management ties dividends/buybacks to cash generation.