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Verdict
Quantitative factor alignment verified for current market regime.
Quant Score
Rank
#4039
Positioning
Market Dominance
Mining
Non-Metallic And Industrial Metal Mining
$914M
Jonathan Evans
Lithium Americas Corp. engages in the exploration and development of lithium properties in the United States and Canada. It holds a 100% interest in the Thacker Pass project located in northern Nevada, as well as investments in exploration properties in the United States and Canada. The company was incorporated in 2023 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
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| Stock | Rating | Score▼ | Quality | Value | Momentum | P/E | EV/EBITDA | ROE | ROA | Gross Mgn | Op Mgn | Net Mgn | Rev Growth | Div Yield | D/E | Mkt Cap | AUDIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$VALE Vale S.A. | 75 | 88 | 93 | 67 | - | - | 15.8% | 6.9% | 36.6% | 22.8% | 15.9% | -8.9% | 0.0% | 0.0x | $38.7B | VS | |
$SU SUNCOR ENERGY INC | 74 | 87 | 90 | 53 | - | - | 13.1% | 6.5% | 58.3% | 18.4% | 11.0% | -3.6% | 4.9% | 29.0x | $46.0B | VS | |
$TRX TRX GOLD Corp | 72 | 83 | 77 | 96 | - | - | 10.7% | 6.1% | 41.5% | 27.8% | 11.4% | 40.0% | 0.0% | 2.0x | $104M | VS | |
$ORLA Orla Mining Ltd. | 72 | 94 | 83 | 78 | - | - | 19.6% | 15.7% | 74.8% | 47.5% | 26.2% | 47.2% | 0.0% | 0.0x | $1.7B | VS | |
$KGC KINROSS GOLD CORP | 71 | 83 | 89 | 79 | - | - | 15.1% | 9.3% | 37.8% | 31.6% | 20.0% | 21.3% | 1.3% | 21.0x | $11.4B | VS | |
$AEM AGNICO EAGLE MINES LTD | 71 | 80 | 80 | 71 | - | - | 9.4% | 6.5% | 60.5% | 36.0% | 22.9% | 25.0% | 2.0% | 6.0x | $38.9B | VS | |
$RIO RIO TINTO PLC | 70 | 76 | 84 | 64 | - | - | 20.3% | 11.2% | 23.0% | 20.1% | 23.1% | -1.3% | 11.2% | 26.0x | $93.8B | VS | |
$IAG IAMGOLD CORP | 70 | 71 | 82 | 89 | - | - | 29.9% | 17.1% | 33.7% | 57.8% | 51.9% | 65.4% | 0.0% | 34.0x | $2.5B | VS | |
$NGD New Gold Inc. /FI | 70 | 76 | 67 | 92 | - | - | 11.1% | 4.8% | 52.8% | 19.7% | 11.1% | 17.5% | 0.0% | 38.0x | $1.7B | VS | |
$PDS PRECISION DRILLING Corp | 70 | 77 | 90 | 65 | - | - | 6.6% | 3.6% | 34.4% | 11.0% | 5.9% | -10.0% | 0.0% | 52.0x | $876M | VS | |
$LAC LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. | 36 | 29 | 12 | 55 | - | - | -88.2% | -54.5% | - | - | - | - | 0.0% | 62.0x | $914M | ||
| SECTOR BENCH | - | - | - | - | - | 13.7x | 5.2x | 4.0% | 3.9% | 43.2% | 12.2% | 6.2% | 2.6% | 0.0% | 0.3x | - | REF |
LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. (LAC) receives a "Avoid" rating with a composite score of 35.7/100. It ranks #4039 out of 7,333 stocks in our coverage universe and carries a 1-star rating. Ratings are driven by a 6-factor quantitative model measuring quality, value, momentum, investment, stability, and short interest.
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Equity capital efficiency
Asset base utilization
Financial leverage load
Direct cash return
Jonathan Evans
Chief Executive Officer
29
23
20
Audit Verdict: Lower quality and stability scores may indicate governance concerns.
No recent insider transactions available for LAC
In-line with peers — no strong momentum signal
Expensive relative to fundamentals — limited margin of safety
Weak fundamentals — higher risk of value trap
High volatility — wider range of outcomes increases timing risk
Aggressive spending — empire-building risk, dilutive growth
Below-average composite — caution warranted
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Relative valuation derived from Mining sector benchmarks. Model weights: EV/EBITDA (40%), P/B (35%), P/S (25%). Re-calculated daily.
No analyst ratings for LAC.
View All RatingsInsufficient data for Financial Analysis
| Factor | Global | Sector | Tilt |
|---|---|---|---|
| PROFITABILITY | 29 | 22 | +7ALPHA |
| MOMENTUM | 55 | 59 | -4NEUTRAL |
| VALUATION | 12 | 5 | +7ALPHA |
| INVESTMENT | 23 | 10 | +13ALPHA |
| STABILITY | 20 | 9 | +11ALPHA |
| SHORT INT | 63 | 79 | -16DRAG |
Global = full universe. Sector = relative to industry peers. Positive tilt indicates idiosyncratic strength.
ROE proxy -88.2% (sector 4.0%)
GM N/A vs sector 43%, OM N/A vs sector 12%
Capital turnover N/A
Rev growth N/A, 2yr history
Interest coverage N/A
Composite assessment of profitability, capital efficiency, and financial strength. Top-tier entities demonstrate sustainable cash flow generation and elite competitive moats.
Profit generated per dollar of shareholder equity
Efficiency of asset utilization
Pricing power and cost efficiency
Core business profitability
Bottom-line profitability
The Quality factor evaluates the persistence and magnitude of realized cash flows. Companies with scores >70 exhibit superior pricing power and structural financial resilience through diverse economic regimes.
Our uncertainty rating tracks the predictability of future cash flows and potential for permanent capital loss. Moderate visibility with standard industry cyclicality.
Our quantitative model flags LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. with an Avoid rating, assigning a composite score of 35.7/100 and 1 out of 5 stars. Ranked #4039 of 7,333 stocks, LAC falls in the bottom tier across key factors. Historically, stocks with this profile have faced elevated risk of underperformance and capital loss.
LAC's quality score of 29/100 is below average, suggesting challenges with profitability or capital efficiency. The company reports a return on equity of -88.2% (sector avg: 4.0%). Investors should examine whether management is actively addressing these weaknesses or if they reflect structural industry headwinds.
LAC registers a value score of just 12/100, suggesting the stock trades at a significant premium to its fundamental metrics. Key valuation metrics include a P/B ratio of 1.53x. High-premium valuations like this require strong future execution to avoid multiple compression, and downside risk is elevated if growth disappoints.
LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP.'s investment score of 23/100 suggests limited reinvestment activity. Key growth metrics include a return on assets of -54.5% (sector: 3.9%). While this can be positive for mature, cash-generative businesses returning capital to shareholders, it may also signal a lack of growth opportunities or management conservatism.
LAC demonstrates moderate momentum with a score of 55/100, suggesting a neutral price trend without strong directional conviction. Revenue growth data is not currently available, while a beta of 1.18 reflects its sensitivity to broader market moves. Moderate momentum may indicate the stock is consolidating or transitioning between trends, warranting close monitoring of upcoming catalysts.
LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. registers a low stability score of 20/100, indicating high volatility and potentially stressed financial conditions. Key stability metrics include a beta of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.00x (sector avg: 0.3x). Stocks at this level carry elevated capital loss risk and may be unsuitable for conservative portfolios without careful risk management.
LAC carries a short interest score of 63/100, indicating moderate short selling activity. This is a neutral reading — not enough to signal systemic bearishness, but worth monitoring. Specific risk factors include elevated leverage (D/E: 62.00x), small-cap liquidity risk. At $914M market cap (small-cap), LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. offers reasonable institutional liquidity.
LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. is a small-cap company in the Mining sector, ranked #0 of 50 in its sector (100th percentile) and #4039 of 7,333 overall (45th percentile). Key comparisons include ROE of -88.2% trailing the 4.0% sector median. This top-quartile standing reflects exceptional competitive strength relative to Mining peers.
While LAC currently exhibits a AVOID profile, superior opportunities exist within the MINING sector. Our model identifies several "Strong Buy" candidates with higher quality scores and more attractive valuations among direct industry competitors.
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Improvement in Value (12) would have the largest impact on the composite score.
ROE 2328% BELOW SECTOR MEDIAN
Debt/Equity 23746% ABOVE SECTOR MEDIAN
Div. Yield NaN% BELOW SECTOR MEDIAN
AUDIT DATA AS OF SEP 30, 2025 (Q2 FY2025)
We rate LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. (LAC) as Avoid with a composite score of 35.7/100 at a current price of $5.03. The stock falls in the bottom quintile of our universe across key quantitative factors, and the multi-factor weakness suggests a high probability of continued underperformance.
The rating is primarily driven by strength in momentum (55th percentile) and quality (29th percentile), which together account for the majority of the composite score. Offsetting weakness in value (12th percentile) and stability (20th percentile) tempers our overall conviction. We assign a No Moat rating (24/100), High uncertainty, and Poor capital allocation.
Key items to watch: valuation compression risk if growth disappoints. Any material change in these dynamics could warrant a reassessment of our rating. The moat trend is stable, which suggests the competitive landscape is stable for now.
LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. holds a top-quartile position (#0 of 50) within the Mining sector, based on our composite quantitative scoring across quality, value, momentum, and stability factors. The composite score of 35.7/100 places it at rank #4039 in our full 7,333-stock universe. At $914M in market capitalization, LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. is a small-cap player in the Mining space, which limits certain scale advantages but may allow for more agile strategic execution.
Momentum indicators (55th percentile) are neutral regarding the near-term price trend. Revenue growth data is unavailable, limiting our ability to confirm whether momentum is fundamentally supported.
Margin data is not available for LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP., which limits our assessment of the company's cost structure and operating efficiency. We rely on factor-based signals to infer business quality in the absence of detailed margin data.
At a current price of $5.03, LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. is trading at a premium to fundamental value. Our value factor score of 12/100 reflects a composite assessment across multiple valuation metrics including price-to-earnings, price-to-book, EV/EBITDA, and price-to-sales ratios relative to both sector peers and the broader market. The premium valuation implies the market is pricing in significant future growth or quality improvements that are not yet fully reflected in current fundamentals.
The stock currently trades at P/B of 1.5x. We evaluate these multiples in the context of both absolute levels and sector-relative positioning to form our valuation view.
The stock may offer contrarian value if near-term headwinds prove transitory — the current weakness in factor scores may reverse if business fundamentals stabilize.
The Avoid rating (composite 35.7/100) reflects multi-factor weakness, and historically, stocks in this scoring range have underperformed the market by a meaningful margin.
Below-average quality (29th percentile) raises durability concerns about the fundamental profile and increases the risk of negative earnings surprises.
We assign a High uncertainty rating to LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP.. Key risk factors include below-average price stability (20th percentile), weak quality scores (29th percentile). The wide range of potential outcomes widens our fair value estimate and increases the possibility of permanent capital impairment. Investors considering this name should size positions accordingly and demand a meaningful margin of safety before initiating.
Specific risk factors that inform our assessment include: below-average price stability (20th percentile); weak quality scores (29th percentile). Each of these factors independently widens the distribution of potential outcomes, and in combination they create a risk profile that demands careful position sizing. The stability factor at the 20th percentile and quality factor at the 29th percentile provide a quantitative summary of the overall risk landscape.
We identify limited risk mitigants at this time, which contributes to our high uncertainty assessment. Investors should monitor for improvement in balance sheet metrics, margin stability, and business predictability that could warrant a downgrade in our risk assessment over time.
We rate LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP.'s capital allocation as Poor. Key concerns include low returns on equity (-88.2%), weak asset returns (ROA -54.5%). Exemplary capital allocators generate ROE above 20% and maintain conservative leverage — LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. significantly underperforms these benchmarks, raising questions about management's ability to create shareholder value.
Investors should scrutinize management's reinvestment decisions and balance sheet trajectory before committing capital. Poor capital allocation often compounds over time: overlevered balance sheets limit strategic flexibility, while low returns on capital destroy shareholder value. We would need to see sustained improvement in profitability metrics and balance sheet discipline before considering an upgrade.
In summary, LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. receives a Avoid rating with a composite score of 35.7/100 (rank #4039 of 7,333). Our quantitative framework assigns a No Moat (24/100, trend: stable), High uncertainty, and Poor capital allocation. The average factor score across quality, value, momentum, stability, and investment is 28/100.
Our analysis does not support a constructive view on LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. at this time. The combination of limited competitive advantages, high uncertainty, and poor capital allocation suggests unfavorable risk-reward at current levels. We recommend investors avoid new positions and existing holders consider reducing exposure.
Analysis derived from Blank Capital Research quantitative terminal. For informational purposes only. No trade solicitation. Past performance not indicative of future results. Consult a qualified advisor.
We do not assign LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. a meaningful economic moat, scoring 24/100 on our composite assessment. Current fundamentals do not demonstrate the kind of durable competitive advantages — such as superior returns on invested capital, margin superiority, or reinvestment efficiency — that would protect the company from competitive erosion over the long term. The highest-scoring pillar, margin superiority, reached only 10/20.
The strongest moat sources are margin superiority (10/20) and growth durability (7/20). GM N/A vs sector 43%, OM N/A vs sector 12%. Rev growth N/A, 2yr history. These pillars form the core of LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP.'s competitive identity and are the primary drivers of excess returns in our framework.
Areas of relative weakness include reinvestment efficiency (0/20) and economic value creation (2.5/20). Capital turnover N/A. Improvement in these areas could meaningfully widen the moat over time, while deterioration would be an early warning of competitive erosion.
Our moat trend assessment is Stable. Multi-year ROIC and operating margin trajectories show neither meaningful improvement nor deterioration, suggesting the competitive position is steady. We expect LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP.'s moat profile to remain largely unchanged absent a material shift in return on capital or industry dynamics.
Key profit drivers are not clearly identifiable from current fundamentals. This may reflect a company in transition, a cyclical downturn, or structural challenges in the business model. We assign a quality factor of 29/100 which further underscores our concern regarding earnings sustainability.
Return metrics include ROE of -88.2% and ROA of -54.5%. Relative to the Mining sector, sector comparison data is limited, and ROE of -88.2% compares to a sector median of 4.0%.
The balance sheet reflects moderate leverage with D/E of 62%. The sector median D/E is 0%, putting LITHIUM AMERICAS CORP. at higher leverage than the typical peer. Overall balance sheet health is adequate for the current business environment.
Above 50MA
37.18%
Net New Highs
+51081
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Motley Fool contributors analyze the lithium industry's recovery prospects, examining both bullish and bearish cases for major lithium producers. While long-term demand fundamentals appear strong, the sector faces challenges from volatile pricing cycles that could create bumpy near-term performance for investors.
Lithium Americas Corp. (LAC) reached $4.57 at the closing of the latest trading day, reflecting a +1.33% change compared to its last close.