 A Message From Golden Portfolio Look at what's happened to these seven gold miners: MAG Silver — up 56.6%
Reunion Gold — up 71.9%
Calibre Mining — up 107.7%
Probe Gold — up 166.7%
Rupert Resources — up 177.9%
Loncor Gold — up 181.8%
G2 Goldfields — up 1,228.6% These weren't lucky picks or lottery tickets. Every one of them moved for the same reason — and it's a reason you can see coming. Go here to see the pattern behind all seven. Each of these was a small gold miner sitting on assets a major wanted. And one by one, the majors came and bought them. Now here's the part that matters: all seven were in my portfolio before the buyouts happened. Not seven picks out of hundreds. Seven names, all held ahead of the acquisition — because the same signal flagged every one of them. Once you understand what the majors are forced to do, spotting the next target stops being luck and starts being pattern recognition. Here's why that pattern isn't slowing down — it's accelerating. The major gold miners have a problem. Their own production is shrinking. Every ounce Barrick or Newmont pulls out of the ground makes their remaining mine worth a little less — a gold mine is a shrinking asset in slow motion. At the same time, the majors are sitting on the most cash they've ever held, thanks to today's gold prices. So a major has exactly two options: watch its output shrink until it's out of business… or use that record cash to buy the best small miners and replace what it's losing. That's not a choice. It's survival. Which means the buyouts don't stop — they keep coming, one after another, until the best small assets are gone. And here's what that looks like from the outside, if you own one of those small miners before the major comes knocking: You go to bed owning a small gold company. Overnight, a major announces it's buying that company — at a premium. You wake up, and your shares are worth 40%… 67%… even 79% more than when you closed your laptop the night before. No chart to watch. No trade to time. The value reprices instantly, while you sleep. That's already happened to all seven companies above — every one of them in my portfolio before it did. The only question left is which small miners are next — the ones with the grade, the cash flow, and the assets the big players actually need. My name is Garrett Goggin, CFA, CMT. My readers had the chance to hold all seven of those names before the majors bought them — and it's why Porter Stansberry recently called me: "THE most knowledgeable gold investor in the world." Go here to see the three names I believe are next in line to get bought. Best, Garrett Goggin, CFA, CMT
Lead Analyst and Founder, Golden Portfolio
Today's Featured Article
AeroVironment’s $465 Million Army Laser Win Expands Its Counter-Drone OpportunityAuthor: Ryan Hasson. Originally Published: 9/3/2026. 
Key Points
- AeroVironment won a $464.8 million U.S. Army contract for its LOCUST X3 laser system, the first-ever directed-energy production award in U.S. history.
- Despite the milestone contract, AVAV stock has fallen nearly 40% in 2026 and trades near its 52-week low amid trailing losses of about $265 million.
- Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating with an average price target implying 81% upside, and institutions have been net buyers ahead of Sept. 9 earnings.
- Special Report: Small Colorado Company (Backed by Sam Altman) Could Save U.S. Power Grid
Defense technology has been one of the market's most volatile and widely discussed themes in 2026, aside from artificial intelligence, of course. However, the gains across the sector have been far from evenly distributed. AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) is proof of that. While many of its peers have climbed, AVAV has fallen nearly 40% from where it began the year, making the drone and loitering-munitions maker one of the sector's clear laggards. That is precisely what makes this week's news worth a closer look. The company just landed a landmark contract that could reframe the investment case, and it arrives as the stock trades near its 52-week low. A Landmark Directed-Energy Award
On Sept. 2, AeroVironment announced that the U.S. Army had awarded it a $464.8 million contract for its Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program. Under the agreement, the company will produce dozens of its LOCUST X3 laser weapon systems over the next several years to defend against the small, low-flying drones that have reshaped the modern battlefield, a category the Pentagon labels Group 1 through 3. What makes this more than just another defense contract is its historic nature. The award represents the first-ever production contract for directed-energy systems in U.S. history, marking the point at which laser weapons officially graduated from prototypes to full-scale production. The LOCUST X3 is a 30-kilowatt, platform-agnostic system designed to integrate with vehicles such as the Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. It also builds on years of successful field testing. For AVAV, the award validates its bet on directed energy and suggests that the strategy is beginning to pay off in a meaningful way. What the Company DoesFor those less familiar with the name, AeroVironment is a defense technology company best known as a pioneer in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and loitering munitions. Its Switchblade drones have become a staple of modern warfare, and the company has steadily expanded into counter-drone technology. That is an area of surging demand as militaries worldwide scramble to defend against inexpensive, proliferating aerial threats. The LOCUST award fits directly into that growing counter-UAS portfolio, adding a high-value production program to a business already anchored by a backlog of roughly $1.2 billion. Fundamentals and ValuationThe fundamental picture is more mixed than the contract headline suggests, and investors should, as always, weigh both sides. AVAV generates nearly $2 billion in annual revenue, and analysts project earnings growth of close to 30% in the year ahead. However, the company is currently unprofitable on a trailing basis, having posted a net loss of roughly $265 million over the past 12 months. As a result, the stock trades at a forward multiple in the mid-40s rather than on trailing earnings, which are negative. That forward valuation requires the anticipated growth to materialize and leaves little room for disappointment. The balance sheet offers some reassurance, with a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio slightly above 4. Those figures indicate no immediate short-term solvency issues and leave the company some room to fund its expansion. Production for the new contract will be supported by a $30 million investment in its Albuquerque, New Mexico, facility, announced earlier this year, suggesting that management was already preparing for this ramp-up. Institutional and Analyst SentimentDespite the beaten-down share price, the professional community remains overwhelmingly bullish. The stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus rating from the 24 analysts covering it, and the average price target of $266.68 implies a striking 81% upside from current levels. Despite its clear year-to-date (YTD) underperformance, institutions appear to view AVAV as both a mispriced stock and a long-term opportunity. Over the prior 12 months, institutions have purchased $3.85 billion of AVAV stock, compared with just $1.14 billion in sales. That activity resulted in an impressive net inflow and current institutional ownership of slightly more than 86%. Catalyst Meets CautionAVAV has begun the month with a complex but intriguing setup: It is a beaten-down defense innovator that just secured a historic, first-of-its-kind production contract, while analysts point to substantial upside. Another major catalyst is just around the corner, as the company is set to announce its Q1 2027 earnings on Sept. 9 after the market closes. The central question raised by the LOCUST award is whether directed energy can become a meaningful new growth pillar for the company. This contract is the strongest evidence yet that it can. The risks are just as real, however, from trailing losses and margin pressures to a share price that has spent the year falling. The LOCUST award does not erase a difficult year, but it gives investors a concrete reason to take a fresh look at a name the market had largely written off. . |
