Critical Survey: American Environmental Partners (OTCMKTS:AEPT) vs. Comstock (NYSE:LODE)

Comstock (NYSE:LODE) and American Environmental Partners (OTCMKTS:AEPT) 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 analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Comstock and American Environmental Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Comstock	-1,210.13%	-33.56%	-23.62%
American Environmental Partners	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional and Insider Ownership

8.0% of Comstock shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.3% of American Environmental Partners shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.5% of Comstock shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

Comstock has a beta of 1.95, suggesting that its share price is 95% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Environmental Partners has a beta of 1.13, suggesting that its share price is 13% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Comstock and American Environmental Partners”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Comstock	$1.27 million	67.94	$9.16 million	($0.12)	-3.42
American Environmental Partners	$23.81 million	0.03	-$15.06 million	($0.03)	-0.04

Comstock has higher earnings, but lower revenue than American Environmental Partners. Comstock is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Environmental Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Comstock and American Environmental Partners, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Comstock	0	0	1	0	3.00
American Environmental Partners	0	0	0	0	N/A

Comstock presently has a consensus price target of $2.60, suggesting a potential upside of 534.30%. Given Comstock’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Comstock is more favorable than American Environmental Partners.

Summary

Comstock beats American Environmental Partners on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Comstock

Comstock Inc. engages in the systemic decarbonization business in Nevada and internationally. It operates through Renewable Energy, Mining, and Strategic and Other Investments segments. It will develop technology for the deploying of extraction and refining facilities that convert wasted and unused biomass and other natural resources; and a demonstration system to extract black mass containing lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, aluminum, and other metals from up to lithium-ion batteries. The company also owns the Lucerne Project located in the Storey County, Nevada; and the Spring Valley Project situated in the Lyon County, Nevada. In addition, it offers upstream and downstream design, engineering, fabrication, procurement, and construction solutions; and invests in non-mining real estate investments. The company was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Virginia City, Nevada.

About American Environmental Partners

American Environmental Partners, Inc., through its subsidiaries, sources, treats, and distributes reclaimed water in the United States. It engages in the designing, construction, and operation of regional water treatment facilities that serve industrial, energy, and government sectors. The company also focuses on drilling, operating, and partnership opportunities in the upstream oil and gas space. It also provides geotechnical services; educational marketing platforms of podcasts and videography; and construction, drilling, flowback, completions, and well-site services. The company was formerly known as American Energy Partners, Inc. and changed its name to American Environmental Partners, Inc. in October 2023. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.