Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Lithium Americas (Argentina) (NYSE:LAR)

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. (NYSE:LAR) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 6,981 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 188% compared to the typical volume of 2,428 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithium Americas (Argentina)

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Lithium Americas (Argentina) in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Lithium Americas (Argentina) by 45.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,552 shares during the period. Sage Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in Lithium Americas (Argentina) in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lithium Americas (Argentina) in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, SIH Partners LLLP purchased a new position in Lithium Americas (Argentina) during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.17% of the company’s stock.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Price Performance

Shares of LAR traded up $0.63 on Tuesday, hitting $8.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,537,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,457,033. Lithium Americas has a fifty-two week low of $1.71 and a fifty-two week high of $8.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.03. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion and a PE ratio of -16.24.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) (NYSE:LAR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.01). On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithium Americas will post -0.05 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LAR shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. National Bankshares raised their price objective on shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) from $4.75 to $6.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $8.30 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised Lithium Americas (Argentina) from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) from $6.00 to $8.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $7.01.

About Lithium Americas (Argentina)

Lithium Americas (Argentina) is a subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corp. focused on the exploration, development and production of lithium brine resources in the Jujuy province of northwest Argentina. The company’s principal asset is the Cauchari-Olaroz project, situated within the Lithium Triangle, one of the world’s richest regions for lithium-bearing brines. Through its Argentine operations, Lithium Americas aims to supply battery-grade lithium carbonate critical to electric vehicle and energy-storage markets.

The Cauchari-Olaroz project encompasses concessions on the Salar de Cauchari and Salar de Olaroz salt flats, where detailed drilling programs and pilot‐scale evaporation ponds have demonstrated favorable lithium concentrations.