Western Copper and Gold (WRN) Competitors

Lithium Americas (TSE:LAC) and Western Copper and Gold (TSE:WRN) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends, community ranking, earnings, risk and media sentiment.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor LAC or WRN?

Lithium Americas received 48 more outperform votes than Western Copper and Gold when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 70.61% of users gave Western Copper and Gold an outperform vote while only 62.47% of users gave Lithium Americas an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Lithium Americas	Outperform Votes 233 62.47%	Underperform Votes 140 37.53%
Western Copper and Gold	Outperform Votes 185 70.61%	Underperform Votes 77 29.39%

Which has more risk and volatility, LAC or WRN?

Lithium Americas has a beta of 1.58, suggesting that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Western Copper and Gold has a beta of 2.04, suggesting that its stock price is 104% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is LAC or WRN more profitable?

Western Copper and Gold's return on equity of -3.70% beat Lithium Americas' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lithium Americas	N/A	-5.33%	-3.41%
Western Copper and Gold	N/A	-3.70%	-2.68%

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, LAC or WRN?

Western Copper and Gold has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Lithium Americas. Western Copper and Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lithium Americas, 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	C$3.15M	361.95	-C$25.39M	-C$0.16	-32.69
Western Copper and Gold	N/A	N/A	-C$6M	-C$0.04	-39.75

Do analysts prefer LAC or WRN?

Lithium Americas currently has a consensus target price of C$7.38, suggesting a potential upside of 41.01%. Western Copper and Gold has a consensus target price of C$3.92, suggesting a potential upside of 146.33%. Given Western Copper and Gold's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Western Copper and Gold is more favorable than Lithium Americas.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lithium Americas	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83
Western Copper and Gold	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.33

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

26.5% of Lithium Americas shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 20.1% of Western Copper and Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.4% of Lithium Americas shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 16.3% of Western Copper and Gold shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media prefer LAC or WRN?

In the previous week, Lithium Americas had 2 more articles in the media than Western Copper and Gold. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Lithium Americas and 1 mentions for Western Copper and Gold. Western Copper and Gold's average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat Lithium Americas' score of -0.23 indicating that Western Copper and Gold is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Lithium Americas	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Western Copper and Gold	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

Western Copper and Gold beats Lithium Americas on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.