Contrasting MAC Copper (NYSE:MTAL) and Electra Battery Materials (NASDAQ:ELBM)

MAC Copper (NYSE:MTAL) and Electra Battery Materials (NASDAQ:ELBM) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for MAC Copper and Electra Battery Materials, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MAC Copper	0	4	0	0	2.00
Electra Battery Materials	0	0	1	0	3.00

MAC Copper currently has a consensus price target of $12.6250, indicating a potential upside of 4.17%. Electra Battery Materials has a consensus price target of $2.20, indicating a potential upside of 106.57%. Given Electra Battery Materials’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Electra Battery Materials is more favorable than MAC Copper.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares MAC Copper and Electra Battery Materials”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MAC Copper	$340.74 million	2.93	-$81.69 million	N/A	N/A
Electra Battery Materials	N/A	N/A	-$21.49 million	($1.48)	-0.72

Electra Battery Materials has lower revenue, but higher earnings than MAC Copper.

Profitability

This table compares MAC Copper and Electra Battery Materials’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MAC Copper	N/A	N/A	N/A
Electra Battery Materials	N/A	-40.08%	-16.48%

Risk and Volatility

MAC Copper has a beta of 0.37, meaning that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Electra Battery Materials has a beta of 2.46, meaning that its stock price is 146% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.5% of MAC Copper shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.9% of Electra Battery Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of MAC Copper shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 22.7% of Electra Battery Materials shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Electra Battery Materials beats MAC Copper on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MAC Copper

Metals Acquisition Limited focuses on mining and production of copper and silver. It operates the CSA copper mine in Cobar, Australia. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is headquartered in Saint Helier, Jersey.

About Electra Battery Materials

Electra Battery Materials Corporation engages in the acquisition and exploration of resource properties in the United States and Canada. It primarily explores for cobalt and silver deposits. The company's flagship project is the Iron Creek cobalt-copper project located in Lemhi County, Idaho. It also operates a cobalt refinery for producing battery materials for the electric vehicle supply chain. The company was formerly known as First Cobalt Corp. and changed its name to Electra Battery Materials Corporation in December 2021. Electra Battery Materials Corporation was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.