Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) Upgraded to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Lithium Americas from a "strong sell" to a "sell," but the wider analyst picture still yields a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target price of $5.56.
• Shares opened at $4.07 and the company posted a big quarterly EPS miss (‑$0.37 vs. est. ‑$0.04), with sell‑side analysts forecasting about ‑0.12 EPS for the year and a market cap near $1.41 billion.
• Lithium Americas' long‑term value rests on two flagship projects — the Cauchari‑Olaroz brine JV with Ganfeng in Argentina and the Thacker Pass clay deposit in Nevada — which drive its development outlook despite near‑term headwinds.

Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Lithium Americas in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Securities upgraded Lithium Americas to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Lithium Americas from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Lithium Americas in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.56.

Lithium Americas Price Performance

Shares of LAC stock opened at $4.07 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.16, a current ratio of 5.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Lithium Americas has a twelve month low of $2.47 and a twelve month high of $10.52. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.84 and a beta of 1.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.28.

Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.33). On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithium Americas will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithium Americas

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Lithium Americas during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Lithium Americas by 149.2% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,930 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Lithium Americas by 1,253.3% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,496 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 6,016 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithium Americas during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithium Americas during the third quarter worth about $57,000.

Lithium Americas Company Profile

Lithium Americas Corp. is a Vancouver‐based resource company focused on the development of lithium projects to support the global transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The company specializes in advancing lithium brine and claystone assets through feasibility studies, environmental permitting and engineering design. Its technical teams work to produce high‐purity lithium chemicals, including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, for battery manufacturers worldwide.

Lithium Americas' two flagship projects are the Cauchari‐Olaroz lithium brine operation in Jujuy Province, Argentina—developed in partnership with Ganfeng Lithium—and the Thacker Pass lithium clay deposit in northern Nevada, United States.

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