Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE – Get Rating) and Comstock (NYSE:LODE – Get Rating) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

4.8% of Comstock shares are held by institutional investors. 2.7% of Green Plains shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 16.4% of Comstock shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Green Plains and Comstock, as provided by MarketBeat.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Green Plains and Comstock's gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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

Profitability

This table compares Green Plains and Comstock's net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Volatility & Risk

Green Plains has a beta of 1.71, indicating that its share price is 71% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Comstock has a beta of 1.71, indicating that its share price is 71% more volatile than the S&P 500.

About Green Plains

(Get Rating)

Green Plains, Inc. engages in the production of fuel-grade ethanol and corn oil, the provision of grain handling, and storage commodity marketing and distribution services. It operates through the following segments: Ethanol Production, Agribusiness and Energy Services and Partnership. The Ethanol Production segment produces ethanol, distillers grain, and corn oil at ethanol plants in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Texas. The Agribusiness and Energy Services segment includes grain procurement and its commodity marketing business, which markets, sells, and distributes ethanol, distillers grains, and corn oil produced at ethanol plants. The Partnership segment provides fuel storage and transportation services by owning, operating, developing, and acquiring ethanol and fuel storage tanks, terminals, transportation assets, and other related assets and businesses. The company was founded in June 2004 and is headquartered in Omaha, NE.

About Comstock

(Get Rating)

Comstock Inc. engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties in Nevada. The company explores for gold, silver, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and mercury ores. It operates in two segments, Mining and Real Estate. The Mining segment owns and controls approximately 9,358 acres of mining claims and parcels, including approximately 2,396 acres of patented claims and surface parcels; and approximately 6,962 acres of unpatented mining claims in the Comstock and Silver City districts, as well as focuses on exploring and developing properties in the Lucerne and Dayton resource areas; and Occidental and Gold Hill mineral properties. The Real Estate segment comprises land and real estate rental properties, as well as the Gold Hill Hotel and Daney Ranch properties. It has collaboration agreements with Oro Industries Inc. and Mercury Clean Up, LLC for the manufacture and deployment of mercury remediation systems with proprietary mechanical, hydro, electro-chemical, and oxidation processes to reclaim and remediate mercury from soils, waste, and tailings. The company was formerly known as Comstock Mining Inc. and changed its name to Comstock Inc. in May 2022. Comstock Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Virginia City, Nevada.

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