Head-To-Head Survey: Lithium (OTCMKTS:LTUM) vs. Western Copper & Gold (NYSE:WRN)

Lithium (OTCMKTS:LTUM) and Western Copper & Gold (NYSE:WRN) 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, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk and dividends.

Risk and Volatility

Lithium has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its stock price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Western Copper & Gold has a beta of 1.84, suggesting that its stock price is 84% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Lithium and Western Copper & Gold’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lithium	N/A	-58.26%	-22.81%
Western Copper & Gold	N/A	-3.53%	-3.45%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Lithium and Western Copper & Gold”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lithium	N/A	N/A	-$620,000.00	N/A	N/A
Western Copper & Gold	N/A	N/A	-$2.47 million	($0.02)	-52.50

Insider & Institutional Ownership

22.0% of Western Copper & Gold shares are held by institutional investors. 4.8% of Lithium shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 4.6% of Western Copper & Gold shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Lithium and Western Copper & Gold, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lithium	0	0	0	0	0.00
Western Copper & Gold	0	0	3	1	3.25

Western Copper & Gold has a consensus target price of $4.25, indicating a potential upside of 304.76%. Given Western Copper & Gold’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Western Copper & Gold is more favorable than Lithium.

Summary

Western Copper & Gold beats Lithium on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lithium

Lithium Corporation, an exploration stage mining company, engages in the identification, acquisition, and exploration of metals and minerals in Nevada and British Columbia. It explores for lithium/boron/potassium, graphite, gold, and silver deposits, as well as titanium and rare earth elements. The company was formerly known as Utalk Communications Inc. and changed its name to Lithium Corporation in September 2009. Lithium Corporation was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Elko, Nevada.

About Western Copper & Gold

Western Copper and Gold Corporation, an exploration stage company, engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada. The company explores for gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum deposits. Its principal property is the Casino mineral property that comprise 1,136 full and partial quartz claims, and 55 placer claims located in Yukon, Canada. The company was formerly known as Western Copper Corporation and changed its name to Western Copper and Gold Corporation in October 2011. Western Copper and Gold Corporation was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.