Comparing Lightning eMotors (NYSE:ZEV) & Lion Electric (NYSE:LEV)

Lightning eMotors (NYSE:ZEV – Get Rating) and Lion Electric (NYSE:LEV – Get Rating) are both small-cap auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

13.0% of Lightning eMotors shares are owned by institutional investors. 15.9% of Lightning eMotors shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Lightning eMotors and Lion Electric’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lightning eMotors	N/A	-271.73%	-22.00%
Lion Electric	-33.87%	-10.19%	-5.74%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Lightning eMotors and Lion Electric, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lightning eMotors	1	0	4	0	2.60
Lion Electric	1	3	7	0	2.55

Lightning eMotors currently has a consensus price target of $12.33, suggesting a potential upside of 186.16%. Lion Electric has a consensus price target of $14.55, suggesting a potential upside of 146.12%. Given Lightning eMotors’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Lightning eMotors is more favorable than Lion Electric.

Risk and Volatility

Lightning eMotors has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lion Electric has a beta of 2, indicating that its stock price is 100% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lightning eMotors and Lion Electric’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lightning eMotors	$20.99 million	15.43	-$100.77 million	N/A	N/A
Lion Electric	$57.71 million	19.40	-$43.33 million	($0.38)	-15.55

Lion Electric has higher revenue and earnings than Lightning eMotors.

Summary

Lion Electric beats Lightning eMotors on 7 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

Lightning eMotors Company Profile (Get Rating)

Lightning eMotors, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells zero-emission commercial fleet vehicles and powertrains to commercial fleets, large enterprises, original equipment manufacturers, and governments in the United States. It offers zero-emission class 3 to 7 battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. The company's vehicles comprise cargo and passenger vehicles, school buses, ambulances, shuttle buses, work trucks, city buses, and motorcoaches. It also offers charging systems and charging infrastructure solutions for commercial medium duty vans and motorcoach fleets. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Loveland, Colorado.

Lion Electric Company Profile (Get Rating)

The Lion Electric Company designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes purpose-built all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles in North America. Its products include battery systems, chassis, bus bodies, and truck cabins. The company also distributes truck and bus parts, as well as accessories. The Lion Electric Company was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Saint-Jérôme, Canada.