Piedmont Lithium (PLL) Competitors

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) and Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ:PLL) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, media sentiment and dividends.

Which has more risk and volatility, ALB or PLL?

Albemarle has a beta of 1.63, indicating that its share price is 63% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Piedmont Lithium has a beta of 0.27, indicating that its share price is 73% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor ALB or PLL?

In the previous week, Albemarle had 18 more articles in the media than Piedmont Lithium. MarketBeat recorded 20 mentions for Albemarle and 2 mentions for Piedmont Lithium. Piedmont Lithium's average media sentiment score of 1.46 beat Albemarle's score of 0.78 indicating that Piedmont Lithium is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Albemarle	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Piedmont Lithium	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ALB or PLL more profitable?

Albemarle has a net margin of -22.39% compared to Piedmont Lithium's net margin of -53.33%. Albemarle's return on equity of -1.92% beat Piedmont Lithium's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Albemarle	-22.39%	-1.92%	-0.92%
Piedmont Lithium	-53.33%	-19.46%	-16.88%

Which has better valuation & earnings, ALB or PLL?

Piedmont Lithium has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Albemarle. Albemarle is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Piedmont Lithium, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Albemarle	$5.38B	1.54	-$1.18B	-$11.12	-6.33
Piedmont Lithium	$99.88M	1.62	-$64.76M	-$2.81	-2.62

Do analysts recommend ALB or PLL?

Albemarle currently has a consensus target price of $91.19, indicating a potential upside of 29.46%. Piedmont Lithium has a consensus target price of $12.75, indicating a potential upside of 73.00%. Given Piedmont Lithium's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Piedmont Lithium is more favorable than Albemarle.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Albemarle	3 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.10
Piedmont Lithium	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in ALB or PLL?

92.9% of Albemarle shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.2% of Piedmont Lithium shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Albemarle shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Piedmont Lithium shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Albemarle and Piedmont Lithium tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.