Westwater Resources (NASDAQ:WWR – Get Free Report) and Lithium Argentina (NYSE:LAR – Get Free Report) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, valuation and earnings.
Profitability
This table compares Westwater Resources and Lithium Argentina’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Westwater Resources | N/A | -5.89% | -5.50% |
| Lithium Argentina | N/A | -1.37% | -1.08% |
Insider & Institutional Ownership
7.7% of Westwater Resources shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 49.2% of Lithium Argentina shares are held by institutional investors. 2.4% of Westwater Resources shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 19.8% of Lithium Argentina shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Risk & Volatility
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current recommendations for Westwater Resources and Lithium Argentina, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Westwater Resources | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Lithium Argentina | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.50 |
Westwater Resources presently has a consensus price target of $2.50, indicating a potential upside of 383.28%. Lithium Argentina has a consensus price target of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 84.21%. Given Westwater Resources’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Westwater Resources is more favorable than Lithium Argentina.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Westwater Resources and Lithium Argentina”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Westwater Resources | N/A | N/A | -$7.75 million | ($0.21) | -2.46 |
| Lithium Argentina | N/A | N/A | $1.29 billion | ($0.09) | -21.11 |
Lithium Argentina is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Westwater Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Lithium Argentina beats Westwater Resources on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Westwater Resources
Westwater Resources, Inc. operates as an energy technology company, focuses on developing battery-grade natural graphite materials. The company holds interests in Kellyton Graphite Plant located in Kellyton, Alabama; and Bama Mine Project situated in south Alabama. It holds interests in Coosa graphite project located in Coosa County, Alabama. The company was formerly known as Uranium Resources, Inc. and changed its name to Westwater Resources, Inc. in August 2017. Westwater Resources, Inc. was incorporated in 1977 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.
About Lithium Argentina
Lithium Argentina AG, a resource and materials company, focuses on advancing lithium projects in Argentina. The company owns interests in the Cauchari-Olaroz project located in Jujuy province; and the Pastos Grandes project located in Salta Province of Argentina. The company was formerly known as Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. and changed its name to Lithium Argentina AG in January 2025. Lithium Argentina AG was incorporated in 2007 is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.
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