Financial Analysis: Westwater Resources (NASDAQ:WWR) vs. Metals Acquisition (NYSE:MTAL)

Metals Acquisition (NYSE:MTAL) and Westwater Resources (NASDAQ:WWR) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and earnings.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Metals Acquisition and Westwater Resources”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Metals Acquisition	$159.00 million	5.82	-$144.55 million	N/A	N/A
Westwater Resources	N/A	N/A	-$7.75 million	($0.13)	-4.22

Westwater Resources has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Metals Acquisition.

Volatility and Risk

Metals Acquisition has a beta of 0.07, meaning that its share price is 93% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Westwater Resources has a beta of 1.58, meaning that its share price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

87.5% of Metals Acquisition shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.7% of Westwater Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.4% of Westwater Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings for Metals Acquisition and Westwater Resources, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Metals Acquisition	0	1	2	0	2.67
Westwater Resources	0	0	0	0	0.00

Metals Acquisition presently has a consensus target price of $15.00, suggesting a potential upside of 20.00%. Given Metals Acquisition’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Metals Acquisition is more favorable than Westwater Resources.

Profitability

This table compares Metals Acquisition and Westwater Resources’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Metals Acquisition	N/A	N/A	N/A
Westwater Resources	N/A	-5.89%	-5.50%

Summary

Metals Acquisition beats Westwater Resources on 7 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Metals Acquisition

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 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.