Remember when your weird uncle at Thanksgiving kept talking about silver? Well, turns out he might’ve been onto something. Pan American Silver (PAAS) just rocketed 11% higher yesterday, hitting a record $48.41, and honestly, it’s been quite the ride.
Here’s the thing: silver prices just topped $61 per troy ounce for the first time ever. That’s not a typo. The shiny metal that usually plays second fiddle to gold has been absolutely crushing it in 2025, up a jaw-dropping 105%. Meanwhile, PAAS stock has surged 139% year-to-date, making it one of those “wish I’d bought it in January” stories.
Why Silver is Having Its Main Character Era
So what’s driving this silver surge? It’s basically a perfect storm of “we don’t have enough” meets “everyone wants it.” Global mine production is expected to drop 12% from 2020 peaks to just 820 million ounces this year. That’s like showing up to a pizza party and finding out they only ordered half as many pies as last time.
Meanwhile, investment demand has hit a record 1.334 billion ounces – that’s 37% of total consumption. ETFs and institutions are buying silver like it’s the last iPhone on Black Friday. And unlike gold, which is mostly just pretty jewelry and central bank reserves, silver has this dual personality thing going on. It’s both a “the world is ending” hedge AND essential for solar panels, electronics, and all the tech stuff we can’t live without.
PAAS: Not Your Average Mining Company
Pan American Silver isn’t just riding the wave – they’re surfing it like pros. The company made a smart move in 2023, dropping $4.8 billion to acquire Yamana Gold. Suddenly, they weren’t just the silver guys anymore. They became a diversified precious metals powerhouse with mines across Canada, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.
While silver still makes up over 60% of their output (they know their bread and butter), gold now provides a nice hedge against volatility. Recent quarters have been cash flow records, and they even bumped their dividend 17% to $0.14 per share. Not bad for a mining company.
They’re also still shopping. Just last week, they picked up 18.75 million units of Galleon Gold for $11.25 million Canadian, boosting their stake to nearly 30%. It’s like they’re collecting mining assets like Pokémon cards.
The Bottom Line
At $48 per share, PAAS trades at about 13x forward earnings – actually pretty reasonable compared to the 15x average for silver miners. Plus, you get a 1% dividend yield while you wait for the next leg up.
With silver supply deficits projected through 2030 and PAAS’s diversified, acquisition-fueled growth strategy, this stock looks like a solid way to play the precious metals boom without going full doomsday prepper. Just maybe don’t put your entire 401k into it – even the shiniest investments can tarnish.