Precious metals stocks are glittering brightly in 2025. Up 24.9% in August, Vancouver-based Pan American Silver (TSX:PAAS) stock generated its highest monthly return during the past half-decade to claim a $20 billion market capitalization. With its impressive 71.9% total gain so far this year, it’s natural to wonder: Have you missed the boat on this Canadian silver stock?
Let’s rewind.
Source: Getty Images
Why Pan American Silver stock is rising in 2025
Pan American Silver is a premier silver miner with some gold reserves. This year, the metals market tides have turned powerfully in its favour. Silver is up 43% year-to-date, and gold has smashed records, trading above US$3,600 an ounce. This surge is the primary engine behind PAAS’s recent performance. Yet, despite its impressive gains, the stock has actually lagged behind its industry peers, which have averaged a staggering 93.9% year-to-date return. This underperformance, paradoxically, might be one of the most compelling reasons to look at the silver stock today.
With a three-decade history of operating solely in the Americas, Pan American Silver boasts 10 producing mines and a massive treasure chest of mineral reserves: 468 million ounces of silver and 6.7 million ounces of gold. But what makes this company a fascinating story is how it’s capitalizing on the current boom.
A well-placed silver play in 2025
Pan American Silver is thriving as the global silver market experiences supply shortages. As silver and gold climb, its operating margins expand dramatically. Its stellar second-quarter earnings for 2025 showed record mine operating earnings of $273.3 million and an astounding $233 million in free cash flow (the cash a company generates after accounting for capital expenditures needed to maintain its assets).
The mining stock’s growing cash generation is the real story. Its cash and equivalents ballooned from $600 million in September 2024 to nearly $1.5 billion by June 2025 as it generated higher cash flow and sold off some non-core assets to shore up resources for strategic silver acquisitions. This incredible liquidity transformed its balance sheet from a net debt position to a net cash one, meaning it had more cash than debt — a strong financial position that enabled an accretive move in September.
Pan American Silver’s accretive acquisition
Just last week, on September 4, the company completed the acquisition of MAG Silver in a deal valued at $2.1 billion. This acquisition adds a 44% interest in the high-grade Juanicipio silver mine in Mexico and is expected to boost Pan American’s silver production by 35% while being accretive to the miner’s free cash flow in 2025.
Management forecasts a meaningful reduction in average mining costs per ounce of silver following the deal, which cements Pan American Silver’s status as the second-largest silver miner by market cap and potentially the largest by mining reserves, ahead of global competitors like Fresnillo and Hecla.
Shareholder-friendly policies
The silver mining house’s story is compelling for investors, given management’s shareholder-friendly capital budgeting policies. Pan American Silver pays a dividend that currently yields 1.3% following a recent 20% raise in 2025. Most noteworthy, the company has been actively buying back its own shares, retiring over 450 million of them recently to increase the intrinsic value of its remaining shares. Share repurchases usually imply management’s view that a company’s stock is undervalued in the market.
The silver stock trades at a forward price-earnings (P/E) multiple of 20, a fair valuation given an average industry P/E of 25.
Hidden upside potential for Pan American Silver stock
Perhaps the most intriguing potential catalyst is waiting in the wings: the possible reopening of the Escobal mine in Guatemala. Escobal is one of the world’s largest primary silver deposits, but its operations have been suspended since 2017. A formal consultation process with local communities is underway, and a resolution could unlock a massive new source of production and value.
Investor takeaway
Could it be too late to invest in Pan American Silver stock? While past performance is never a guarantee, the silver miner’s future potential is attractive. The company is generating record cash flow as silver prices surge. It made a savvy acquisition to boost production and lower costs, and the acquisition leaves it with a strong cash position. For investors seeking a top TSX silver stock to buy in September, Pan American Silver offers a compelling combination of financial strength, growth through acquisitions, and pure leverage to the ongoing silver bull market. The August rally was spectacular, and the silver miner could produce a sustained good rally if commodity prices comply.
