5 Best Silver Stocks to Buy in 2026

We’ve compiled a list of the best silver stocks to buy in 2026 to add to your portfolio if you’re trying to cash in on the craze going on right now. Silver may have cooled off a bit from its all-time high to start 2026, but structural demand isn’t going away as the metal rides its 6th consecutive year of supply deficit.

We help investors find the best stocks to invest in across every sector. We’ll walk you through the five best silver mining stocks, streamers, and ETFs worth watching right now, what makes each one a strong candidate, and how to use data to figure out which ones deserve your capital.

Key Takeaways

• Silver hit an all-time high of just over $100/oz in January 2026 before correcting to the mid-$70s, which is where the metal sits right now.
• The metal is in high demand as solar and AI chip manufacturing rely on it. These industries aren’t slowing down any time soon.
• Pan American Silver (PAAS) and Hecla Mining (HL) are the best silver mining stocks.
• Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) is the lowest-risk streaming stock in the sector.
• First Majestic Silver (AG) gives you the most leverage to silver price moves
• iShares Silver Trust (SLV) lets you own the metal itself without mining risk.
• VectorVest rates every silver stock daily on value, safety, and timing so you always know which of the best silver mining stocks to buy – and when to buy/sell them.

Overview of the Best Silver Mining Stocks 2026

What Are the Best Silver Stocks to Buy Now?

We dug into the VectorVest stock forecasting software to uncover these five picks, which range from direct miners to streaming companies and ETFs.

So, what are the best silver stocks to buy? It all comes down to your risk tolerance relative to your investment goals. Each has its place on this list, though. You might find that you want to add a few of these stocks to your portfolio!

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)

Wheaton doesn’t dig silver out of the ground. It’s a streaming company, which just means it pays miners upfront for the right to buy their silver (and gold) production at locked-in prices well below market value.

Streaming companies are an attractive investment because they sidestep the worst risks in mining, from cost blowouts to labor disputes. They have solid, predictable profit margins. For example, Wheaton’s cost basis on silver sits around $12.50 per ounce. The spread between that number and $77 spot is almost all margin!

The portfolio consists of 48 global mining assets, including 22 that are currently producing. Silver accounts for about 46% of revenue through 2030. That gives WPM one of the heaviest silver weightings among all streamers.

Q1 2026 was a record quarter with $901.5 million in revenue and $582 million in net earnings. Operating cash flow hit $766 million. The company also closed its largest deal ever, a $4.3 billion streaming agreement with BHP for additional silver from the Antamina mine in Peru.

While you came here for the best silver stocks, you could make the case that WPM is also one of the best gold stocks to buy. Wheaton is expecting 50% production growth to 1.2 million gold-equivalent ounces by 2030.

First Majestic Silver (AG)

First Majestic operates four underground mines in Mexico, including Santa Elena and the Los Gatos silver mine. The entire brand is built around the metal. Their tagline says it directly: “There’s no substitute for silver.” When the metal moves, First Majestic moves harder.

But what puts AG among the best silver stocks to buy right now? Margin. Silver’s 150% surge in 2025 pushed AG’s realized price in Q1 2026 to $86.35 per ounce, up from $33.10 in the same period last year. That drove operating margins to $52 per ounce, a 4x increase. Revenue hit a record $477 million in the quarter with $224 million in free cash flow.

Investors who were already bullish on AG back in 2025 reaped quite the reward from their outlook, as the stock has climbed over 226% in the past year. The stock has cooled off a bit over the past few months, so you could pick it up at a pretty good value right now if the company’s projections prove true.

The company is expanding Santa Elena’s mill capacity to 3,500 TPD in the second half of 2026 and has 266,000 meters of exploration drilling planned across its portfolio.

Pan American Silver Corp (PAAS)

Pan American is one of the world’s largest primary silver producers with 12 mines across seven countries in the Americas. That scale and geographic diversification give the company an edge over the competition. 11 other mines keep running if one jurisdiction hits a wall in production or runs into regulatory troubles.

2026 has been the best year for the company on paper, so the time is right to start looking at PAAS. Silver guidance got raised to 26.5-28.5 million ounces (up to 18% growth year over year) and lowered all-in sustaining costs to $14.50-15.50 per ounce.

Q1 revenue came in at $1.15 billion with $456 million in net earnings. The company is poised to invest in other assets with a record $1.8 billion in cash on hand with zero net debt. PAAS also plans to return up to $1 billion to shareholders in 2026 through dividends and buybacks.

All eyes are set on the La Colorada Skarn development project, which could yield another 19+ million silver ounces per year at peak output. We think PAAS is the strongest candidate on our list of the best silver mining stocks to buy for steady, scalable production growth. It’s only up 8% YTD after some ups and downs, so there could be good value at only $55/share today relative to its all-time high of $68/share.

Hecla Mining (HL)

This is the United States’ largest silver producer, responsible for over 40% of all silver mined here at home. Hecla Mining has been around for over 130 years, weathering every silver cycle and proving it’s here to stay.

The pivotal move in 2026 was selling the Casa Berardi gold mine in Quebec. This brought in $160 million cash and Orezone shares, with up to $321 million more in deferred payments.

The bigger story here is how this divestiture turned Hecla into a pure silver company. The company now runs just three silver mines, one of which happens to be the lowest-cost silver mine in the US – Greens Creek in Alaska, with cash costs near negative $12 per ounce and $126 million in free cash flow just in Q1.

Meanwhile, Lucky Friday (Idaho) brought in another 1.2 million ounces and $50 million in Q1 free cash flow. Keno Hill (Yukon) is ramping to 440 TPD and could produce 2.9-3.2 million ounces in 2026.

Total Q1 revenue doubled year over year to $411 million, free cash flow hit a record $144 million, and Hecla exited the quarter debt-free. All of this can be traced back to the unrelenting demand for Silver, and as far as American companies go, Hecla Mining is poised to capitalize.

iShares Silver Trust (SLV)

Last but not least we have the largest silver ETF in the world – SLV. It holds physical silver in vaults in London and tracks the LBMA spot price. There’s no mining risk or management to second-guess. You’re essentially buying the metal itself – without actually having to worry about the storage or liquidation hassles yourself.

The fund manages over $35.5 billion in assets and charges a 0.50% expense ratio, 34% below the category average for commodity ETFs. SLV’s price essentially mirrors the silver spot.

The trade-off compared to mining stocks is leverage. A well-run miner might return 40-80% when silver rises 20%, all because of operating leverage on fixed costs. SLV only returns 20% (minus fees). It doesn’t pay a dividend, and it’s taxed as a collectible instead of an equity, so you have to account for a higher long-term capital gains rate as well.

Nevertheless, SLV is the simplest, most direct way to hold silver in a brokerage account if the best silver stocks to buy on this list feel too volatile for your risk profile.

Is Silver Trending in the Right Direction?

There you have it, all the best silver stocks to buy now. But is this really a metal you should be betting on? We think so. Silver smashed through $100 per ounce in January 2026, marking the first time the metal ever traded in triple digits.

Now, it has pulled back to the mid-$70s since then. That’s actually a good thing for someone who isn’t currently invested in silver. The simple fact is that supply can’t keep up with demand. The silver market has been in deficit for six consecutive years, and 2026 is going to extend that streak.

Over half of all silver consumption now comes from industrial applications, with the two really fast-growing demand sources – solar panel manufacturing and semiconductor production.

That does not even account for the fact that the US Department of the Interior designated silver as a critical mineral. That could mean potential domestic production incentives are on the horizon, setting up companies like Hecla Mining (and its investors) to really cash in.

But let’s zoom out from all of that and just look at what the experts say about investing in silver right now. J.P. Morgan thinks silver could average $81 per ounce this year and finish closer to $85. The miners on this list are going to operate at historically strong margins if those numbers prove true.

Should You Buy Silver Stocks Right Now?

There’s no denying the fundamentals backing the best silver mining stocks 2026 as we head into the second half of the year, but there is always some level of risk involved in betting on precious metals. Here’s how the bull and bear cases stack up.

Pros

• 6th consecutive year of supply deficit with no near-term resolution in sight
• Industrial demand from solar panels and semiconductor manufacturing won’t slow down
• Domestic production incentives could follow on the heels of silver’s US critical mineral designation
• The 25% pullback from January highs has opened up more attractive entry points than earlier this year
• Major producers are raising guidance and lowering costs. PAAS and HL both exited Q1 debt-free

Cons

• Silver is 2-3x more volatile than gold on any given day. Mining stocks amplify that
• A global recession would slash industrial demand, which accounts for over half of silver usage
• Geopolitical risk in key mining regions, particularly Mexico and Peru
• The January-to-May correction shows how fast silver sentiment can shift

VectorVest Brings You the Best Silver Mining Stocks Daily

Picking the best silver mining stocks to buy is only half the battle. Knowing when to pull the trigger and when to step aside is even more important. That’s where VectorVest comes in.

It’s a proprietary stock rating system that tracks over 18,000 stocks every day on value, safety, and timing. It tells you what to buy, when to buy it, and when to sell it. No guesswork, human error, or emotion involved whatsoever. Instead of guessing whether WPM or PAAS is the better entry today, you get an objective, data-backed answer.

Whether it’s the best silver mining stocks 2026, the top lithium stocks, the top 100 penny stocks under 10 cents, or anything in between, the VectorVest stock advisory helps you uncover opportunities on autopilot so you can spend less time in front of a screen, more time capitalizing on winning trades.

The system has outperformed the S&P 500 by 10x over 22 years. Don’t take our word for it. Get a free stock analysis on any ticker today and see the ratings for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it wise to invest in silver stocks?

Yes. Silver is a safe haven with industrial demand working in its favor. The main risk is volatility, so position size accordingly.

Does Warren Buffett invest in silver?

He has in the past. Berkshire Hathaway held a ton of physical silver position in the late 1990s (supposedly around 130 million ounces). It was one of the biggest private silver holdings ever assembled.

What silver stocks pay dividends?

All four mining and streaming names on this list pay dividends. PAAS has the highest dividend at roughly 1%.

Are there any undervalued silver stocks right now?

Silver pulled back around 25% from its January 2026 highs, so many silver stocks are trading well below their recent peaks. Whether that makes them undervalued on a fundamental basis is hard to say without knowing more. Our Relative Value (RV) indicator rates every stock on what it’s actually worth compared to what it’s trading at, so check that out.

What is the best silver stock to buy now?

WPM’s streaming model has the lowest risk, while PAAS leads on production growth and balance sheet strength. Each of these stocks has its own case. Get a free stock analysis for any of them at VectorVest!

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