Lithium Americas (LAC) Competitors

Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) and Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ:PLL) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership and valuation.

Is LAC or PLL more profitable?

Lithium Americas has a net margin of 0.00% compared to Piedmont Lithium's net margin of -50.60%. Lithium Americas' return on equity of -7.59% beat Piedmont Lithium's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lithium Americas	N/A	-7.59%	-5.28%
Piedmont Lithium	-50.60%	-18.57%	-16.06%

Does the media prefer LAC or PLL?

In the previous week, Lithium Americas had 6 more articles in the media than Piedmont Lithium. MarketBeat recorded 10 mentions for Lithium Americas and 4 mentions for Piedmont Lithium. Piedmont Lithium's average media sentiment score of 0.58 beat Lithium Americas' score of 0.24 indicating that Piedmont Lithium is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Lithium Americas	3 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Piedmont Lithium	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher valuation and earnings, LAC or PLL?

Lithium Americas has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Piedmont Lithium. Lithium Americas 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
Lithium Americas	N/A	N/A	-$42.53M	-$0.16	-18.13
Piedmont Lithium	$99.88M	2.10	-$64.76M	-$2.56	-3.73

Which has more risk and volatility, LAC or PLL?

Lithium Americas has a beta of 0.68, suggesting that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Piedmont Lithium has a beta of 0.26, suggesting that its stock price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in LAC or PLL?

52.2% of Piedmont Lithium shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of Lithium Americas shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Piedmont Lithium shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer LAC or PLL?

Lithium Americas presently has a consensus price target of $4.15, indicating a potential upside of 43.10%. Piedmont Lithium has a consensus price target of $10.94, indicating a potential upside of 14.53%. Given Lithium Americas' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Lithium Americas is more favorable than Piedmont Lithium.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lithium Americas	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
Piedmont Lithium	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20

Summary

Lithium Americas beats Piedmont Lithium on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.