Liquidmetal Technologies (OTCMKTS:LQMT) versus Standard Lithium (NYSE:SLI) Critical Survey

Standard Lithium (NYSE:SLI) and Liquidmetal Technologies (OTCMKTS:LQMT) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

16.8% of Standard Lithium shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Liquidmetal Technologies shares are held by institutional investors. 45.4% of Liquidmetal Technologies shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Standard Lithium and Liquidmetal Technologies’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Standard Lithium	N/A	-15.67%	-14.05%
Liquidmetal Technologies	-159.90%	-4.35%	-4.18%

Risk and Volatility

Standard Lithium has a beta of 1.89, indicating that its stock price is 89% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Liquidmetal Technologies has a beta of 1.2, indicating that its stock price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Standard Lithium and Liquidmetal Technologies”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Standard Lithium	N/A	N/A	$108.82 million	$0.58	3.76
Liquidmetal Technologies	$510,000.00	N/A	-$2.05 million	N/A	N/A

Standard Lithium has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Liquidmetal Technologies.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Standard Lithium and Liquidmetal Technologies, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Standard Lithium	0	0	1	0	3.00
Liquidmetal Technologies	0	0	0	0	N/A

Standard Lithium currently has a consensus price target of $3.50, suggesting a potential upside of 60.55%. Given Standard Lithium’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Standard Lithium is more favorable than Liquidmetal Technologies.

Summary

Standard Lithium beats Liquidmetal Technologies on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Standard Lithium

Standard Lithium Ltd. explores for, develops, and processes lithium brine properties in the United States. Its flagship project is the Lanxess project with area of approximately 150,000 acres located in southern Arkansas. The company was formerly known as Patriot Petroleum Corp. and changed its name to Standard Lithium Ltd. in December 2016. Standard Lithium Ltd. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Liquidmetal Technologies

Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc., a materials technology company, designs, develops, and sells custom products and parts from bulk amorphous alloys to various industries in the United States and internationally. The company provides bulk amorphous alloy custom products and parts for applications, which include non-consumer electronic devices, medical products, automotive components, and sports and leisure goods. It offers tooling and prototype parts, such as demonstration parts and test samples for customers with products in development; and engages in product licensing activities. In addition, the company partners with third-party manufacturers and licensees to develop and commercialize liquid metal alloy products. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Lake Forest, California.