Piedmont Lithium (PLL) Competitors

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) and Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ:PLL) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation and dividends.

Does the media favor ALB or PLL?

In the previous week, Albemarle had 13 more articles in the media than Piedmont Lithium. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for Albemarle and 2 mentions for Piedmont Lithium. Piedmont Lithium's average media sentiment score of 1.46 beat Albemarle's score of 0.77 indicating that Piedmont Lithium is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Albemarle	9 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Piedmont Lithium	1 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of ALB or PLL?

92.9% of Albemarle shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.2% of Piedmont Lithium shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Albemarle 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 large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more risk & volatility, ALB or PLL?

Albemarle has a beta of 1.63, indicating that its stock price is 63% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Piedmont Lithium has a beta of 0.27, indicating that its stock price is 73% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate ALB or PLL?

Albemarle currently has a consensus target price of $91.62, suggesting a potential upside of 27.39%. Piedmont Lithium has a consensus target price of $12.75, suggesting a potential upside of 89.73%. Given Piedmont Lithium's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Piedmont Lithium is more favorable than Albemarle.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Albemarle	3 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.10
Piedmont Lithium	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Is ALB or PLL more profitable?

Albemarle has a net margin of -22.39% compared to Piedmont Lithium's net margin of -53.33%. Albemarle's return on equity of -1.92% beat Piedmont Lithium's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Albemarle	-22.39%	-1.92%	-0.92%
Piedmont Lithium	-53.33%	-19.46%	-16.88%

Which has better valuation and earnings, ALB or PLL?

Piedmont Lithium has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Albemarle. Albemarle 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
Albemarle	$5.38B	1.57	-$1.18B	-$11.12	-6.47
Piedmont Lithium	$99.88M	1.48	-$64.76M	-$2.81	-2.39

Summary

Albemarle beats Piedmont Lithium on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.