One of the Best Platinum Mining Stocks to Buy for a 47.8% Gain in 12 Months

With prices expected to continue their rally this year, we're bringing readers one of the best platinum mining stocks to buy right now.

platinum prices in 2017Although they suffered a 7.6% dip in March, platinum prices are still up 8% to $978 per ounce in 2017. That puts the metal in third place behind gold prices and silver prices, which are up 11.2% and 12.6% this year, respectively.

Despite being outperformed by gold and silver, Money Morning Resource Specialist Peter Krauth still expects the platinum price to surge 32.9% to $1,300 in 2017. In fact, his predicted platinum gains beat his 2017 gold price prediction of a 9.3% rise and silver price prediction of a 21.8% climb.

That's why we're so bullish on today's platinum stock recommendation, which could soar as much as 47.8% over the next year...

1 Reason Why Platinum Prices Will Rise 32.9% in 2017

The primary reason the price of platinum will rally this year is the metal's increasing attractiveness as a safe-haven investment.

A safe-haven investment is one whose value typically steadies or rises during stock market volatility. It's called a "safe haven" because investors often use it as a flight to safety when they start to incur losses from stocks.

Similar to silver and gold, platinum's safe-haven qualities make it a good hedge when the Dow Jones or S&P 500 take an unexpected dip. And platinum prices are up 2.7% this month as U.S. conflicts overseas continue to make markets uneasy.

Free Report: How to Buy and Profit from Gold and Silver in 2017

On April 7, the United States' long-held tensions with Syria came to a head when the U.S. launched missiles at a Syrian airfield. The strike was a direct response to Syrian President Assad's chemical attack on April 4 that killed at least 70 Syrian civilians. The United States has also grown more hostile toward North Korea, which has conducted several tests of long-term missiles and made threats of war.

These escalating conflicts have pulled markets lower over the last month. The Dow Jones has fallen 1.7%, while the S&P 500 has dropped 0.9% over the same period.

Regardless of the Syria and North Korea situations, investors have been moving more and more money into precious metals in fears that a stock market crash could come at any moment. That's why gold, platinum, and silver have seen their prices rise 11.2%, 8%, and 12.6% this year, respectively.

As long as investors keep piling into metals for hedging purposes, the price of platinum will climb toward Krauth's $1,300 price target. And our platinum mining stock pick today could give investors a 47.8% profit by April 2018 thanks to platinum's bull run.

Here's the best platinum company to invest in right now...

One of the Best Platinum Mining Stocks to Buy in 2017

[mmpazkzone name="in-story" network="9794" site="307044" id="137008" type="4"]

Krauth recommends Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (TSE: IVN), a Canadian miner that produces platinum, copper, and palladium.

Ivanhoe has mining projects scattered throughout all of Africa. Its biggest African mines are the Kamoa project in the Congo and Platreef project in South Africa.

According to Krauth, the latter Platreef mine will be the biggest boon for IVN stock. Ivanhoe announced its 64% stake in the mine last year. That was a smart move since Platreef is one of Africa's biggest deposits of platinum, palladium, rhodium, and other platinum group metals.

The company's total output in the Platreef project is projected to eventually hit 12 million metric tons a year. This would make it the world's highest producer of platinum group metals.

best platinum mining stocks to buyWith platinum prices on track to climb another 33% to $1,300 this year, Ivanhoe's bottom line will surely grow as the firm ups production. This could continue IVN's big rally, which has already seen the stock price skyrocket 102% this year.

"The stock has undeniably had a strong run, but I believe the outstanding world-class quality and grade of its projects make it an attractive play," Krauth said.

Even with that triple-digit return, shares of IVN stock currently cost $5.11 Canadian dollars, or $3.79. An analyst survey conducted by Yahoo Finance concludes Ivanhoe stock could hit a one-year target of CA$7.55, or $5.60. That means you could see a return as high as 47.8%.

As the platinum market continues to strengthen, Ivanhoe stock will be the best way to profit from the ongoing price rally.

Must See: A completely unique gold play is forming in the markets. And it's so rare that it's only the third time in 20 years that it's happened. If you get in now, you could see a share of upwards of $13 billion in cash windfalls. Read more.

Follow Money Morning on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.