Full Circle Lithium Valuation Multiples

Tesla is a vertically integrated battery electric vehicle automaker and developer of real world artificial intelligence software, which includes autonomous driving and humanoid robots. The company has multiple vehicles in its fleet, which include luxury and midsize sedans, crossover SUVs, a light truck, and a semi truck. Tesla also plans to begin selling a sports car and offer a robotaxi service. Global deliveries in 2025 were nearly 1.64 million vehicles. The company sells batteries for stationary storage for residential and commercial properties including utilities and solar panels and solar roofs for energy generation. Tesla also owns a fast-charging network and an auto insurance business.

GE Vernova is a global leader in the electric power industry, with products and services that generate, transfer, convert, and store electricity. The company has three business segments: power, wind, and electrification. Power includes gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, and steam technologies, providing dispatchable power. The wind segment includes wind generation technologies, inclusive of onshore and offshore wind turbines and blades. Electrification includes grid solutions, power conversion, electrification software, and solar and storage solutions technologies required for the transmission, distribution, conversion, and storage of electricity from the point of generation to point of consumption.

CATL, headquartered in Ningde, Fujian Province, is a global leading battery manufacturer founded in 2011. The company specializes in the development and production of lithium-ion batteries for EVs and energy storage systems. CATL is the largest EV battery manufacturer in the world and leads the industry in innovative battery technology development for higher-energy density and safety, longer battery service life and super-fast charging. CATL is also involved in the manufacturing of cathode and other related battery materials. Through its subsidiary Brunp, it works with customers to create a closed-loop battery life cycle from production, application, to recycling.

BHP is a global diversified miner mainly supplying iron ore and copper. The merger of BHP Limited and Billiton PLC created the present-day BHP Group. The dual-listed structure from the 2001 BHP and Billiton merger was collapsed in 2022. Major assets include Pilbara iron ore and Escondida copper. Onshore US oil and gas assets were sold in 2018, and the remaining Petroleum assets were spun off and merged with Woodside in 2022, with BHP vesting the Woodside shares it received to BHP shareholders. It purchased copper miner Oz Minerals in fiscal 2023 and half of the Vicuna copper joint venture in fiscal 2025. It is entering the potash market through the development of its Jansen project in Canada. However, due to low prices, BHP placed its nickel business on care and maintenance in 2024.

Rio Tinto is a global diversified miner. Iron ore is its major commodity, with lesser contributions from copper and aluminum. Lithium, diamonds, gold, and industrial minerals are more minor contributors. The 1995 merger of RTZ and CRA, via a dual-listed structure, created the present-day company. The two operate as a single business entity, with shareholders in each company having equivalent economic and voting rights. Major assets included the Pilbara iron ore operations, a 30% stake in the Escondida copper mine, 66%-ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, the Weipa and Gove bauxite mines in Australia, and six hydro-powered aluminum smelters in Canada.

Rio Tinto is a global diversified miner. Iron ore is its major commodity, with lesser contributions from copper and aluminum. Lithium, diamonds, gold, and industrial minerals are more minor contributors. The 1995 merger of RTZ and CRA, via a dual-listed structure, created the present-day company. The two operate as a single business entity, with shareholders in each company having equivalent economic and voting rights. Major assets included the Pilbara iron ore operations, a 30% stake in the Escondida copper mine, 66%-ownership of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, the Weipa and Gove bauxite mines in Australia, and six hydro-powered aluminum smelters in Canada.

Southern Copper Corp is an integrated producer of copper and other minerals and operates the mining, smelting, and refining facilities in Peru and Mexico. Its production includes copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver. The company operates through the following segments: Peruvian operations, Mexican open-pit operations, and Mexican underground mining operations. It generates the majority of its revenue from the sale of copper and the rest from the sale of non-copper products, such as molybdenum, silver, zinc, lead, and gold. The company's geographical segments are The Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Iberdrola is one of the largest utilities in the world with electric utility operations in nearly 40 countries. The company has a 57-gigawatt portfolio of hydro, wind, natural gas, and nuclear power plants. It is one of the largest owners of wind farms in the world, representing about 40% of its portfolio. Although the company has recently developed or acquired distribution and power generation assets in other geographic areas, Spain is still home to more than half of its power generation capacity. Iberdrola also owns and operates electricity and distribution networks in Spain, the UK, Brazil, and the US.

Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd is focusing on the exploration and development of gold and copper and other metal mineral resources. The company's operating segment includes mining products segment; refined products segment; trading; and others. It generates maximum revenue from the Refined products segment. The products of refined products segment are refined copper, refined, processed gold and silver, refined zinc bullion, and sulphuric acid. Geographically, the majority is derived from Mainland China.

Newmont is the world's largest gold miner. It bought Goldcorp in 2019, combined its Nevada mines in a joint venture with competitor Barrick later that year, and also purchased competitor Newcrest in November 2023. Its portfolio includes 11 mines and interests in two joint ventures in the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. The company is expected to sell roughly 5.6 million ounces of gold in 2025 from its core mines after selling six higher-cost, smaller mines following the Newcrest acquisition. Newmont also produces material amounts of copper, silver, zinc, and lead as byproducts. It had about two decades of gold reserves, along with significant byproduct reserves at the end of December 2024.

Founded in 1995, BYD is a leading Chinese manufacturer in the design, development, and production of new energy vehicles, or NEVs. In March 2022, the firm discontinued production of internal combustion engine, or ICE, vehicles. Its products primarily target the growing midpriced mass-market segment in China’s passenger vehicle market. The company sold about 4.3 million passenger NEVs in 2024, accounting for 35% of the Chinese passenger NEV market. Besides automobile production, the company is also engaged in handset components and assembly services, as well as the rechargeable battery and photovoltaics business. After more than 25 years of development, the company has established over 30 industrial parks worldwide.

Howmet Aerospace Inc offers engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. The company's products and solutions include investment castings for jet engines and industrial gas turbines; seamless rolled rings for jet engines; fastening systems for aerospace, industrial and commercial transportation applications; forged jet engine components (e.g., jet engine disks); machined and forged aircraft parts; and forged aluminum commercial vehicle wheels, all of which are sold directly to customers or through distributors. It has four reportable segments: Engine Products, which derives key revenue, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels. Geographically, the company derives maximum revenue from the USA, followed by France, Japan, Germany, and other markets.

China Yangtze Power Co Ltd business activities include hydroelectric power generation, power distribution and sales, overseas power station's operation, management, consultation services, investment, and financing. It has also established its power distribution and sales platforms such as Three Gorges Water Conservancy and Peru LuzdelSur. The company owns the power generation assets of four hydropower plants on the mainstream of the Yangtze River, namely Three Gorges, Gezhouba, Xiluodu, and Xiangjiaba.

Grupo Mexico SAB de CV is a holding company that operates in the mining-metallurgic industry, the exploration, exploitation, and benefit of metallic and non-metallic ores, multimodal freight railroad service, and infrastructure development. The majority of the group's revenue is generated from mining.

Freeport-McMoRan owns stakes in 10 copper mines, led by its 49% ownership of the Grasberg copper and gold operations in Indonesia, 55% of the Cerro Verde mine in Peru, and 72% of Morenci in Arizona. It sold around 1.1 million metric tons of copper (its share) in 2025, making it the one of the world’s largest copper miners by volume. It also sold about 530,000 ounces of gold, mostly from Grasberg, and 74 million pounds of molybdenum. It had about 25 years of copper reserves at the end of December 2025. We expect it to sell about 1.3 million metric tons of copper and 610,000 ounces of gold midcycle in 2030.

Agnico Eagle is a gold miner with mines in Canada, Mexico, Finland, and Australia. Agnico operated just one mine, LaRonde, as recently as 2008 before bringing its other mines online in rapid succession in the following years. It merged with Kirkland Lake Gold in 2022, acquiring the Detour Lake and Macassa mines in Canada along with the high-grade, low-cost Fosterville mine in Australia. It sold around 3.4 million gold ounces in 2025 and had about 15 years of gold reserves at end 2025. Agnico Eagle is focused on increasing gold production in lower-risk jurisdictions and bought the remaining 50% of its Canadian Malartic mine along with the Wasamac project and other assets from Yamana Gold in 2023.

Glencore is one of the world’s largest commodities traders, active in markets for metals and minerals, and energy products. Its marketing business provides sourcing, logistics, transportation, storage, and financing services to commodity producers and consumers around the globe. Its mining or industrials business produces thermal coal, coking coal, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and ferroalloys. Unlike other major miners who are generally reducing their exposure to coal, it plans to produce thermal coal until its mines exhaust, arguing that it is better for listed, western companies to own these assets and then rehabilitate them consistent with western standards. We agree. It also expanded its coking coal exposure via the purchase of 77% of Teck's metallurgical coal business in July 2024.

WM, previously known as Waste Management, ranks as the largest integrated provider of traditional solid waste services in the United States, operating 262 active landfill sites and about 339 transfer stations that help with transporting waste efficiently and economically. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and medical end markets for waste collection, transfer, and disposal. The company also has an energy business emanating from the beneficial use of landfill gas and is a leading recycler in North America.

Bloom Energy designs, manufactures, sells, and installs solid oxide fuel cell systems for on-site power generation. Bloom Energy Servers are fuel-flexible and can use natural gas, biogas, and hydrogen to create 24/7 electricity for stationary applications. Bloom sells its systems in the United States and internationally.

Saudi Arabian Mining Co, along with its subsidiaries, is involved in the development of mineral resources in Saudi Arabia. Its activities include the mining of gold, phosphate rock, bauxite, low-grade bauxite, kaolin, and magnesite. It carries out its mining activities at Mahd Ad-Dahab, Bulghah, Al-Amar, Sukhaybarat, As Suq, Ad Duwayhi, Al-Jalamid, Al-Khabra, Az Zabirah, Al-Ghazallah, and Al-Ba'itha mines. It operates through various segments such as phosphate, aluminum, precious & Base Metals and New Minerals, and All other. Its geographical segments are Europe, Spain, and the Indian Subcontinent.

Republic Services Group is the second-largest waste management company by revenue and provides integrated waste management services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. With 208 active landfills, 248 transfer stations, and 75 recycling centers, Republic Services has reached $16 billion in annual revenue, focusing on recycling and environmental solutions. The company reports in three segments based on the Western United States (Group 1), Eastern United States (Group 2), and Environmental Solutions across North America (Group 3). Eighty-nine percent of total revenue comes from recycling and waste, with the remaining 11% from Environmental Solutions.

Nucor Corp manufactures steel and steel products. The company's reportable segments are steel mills, steel products, and raw materials. The majority of its revenue is derived from the steel mills segment, which is engaged in producing sheet steel (hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized), plate steel, structural steel (wide-flange beams, beam blanks, H-piling, and sheet piling), and bar steel products. Nucor manufactures steel principally from scrap steel and scrap steel substitutes using electric arc furnaces (EAFs), along with continuous casting and automated rolling mills. The steel mills segment sells its products mainly to steel service centers, fabricators, and manufacturers located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

LG Energy Solution is the third-largest battery maker for electric vehicles with about 11% global share in 2024, according to SNE Research. The EV battery segment is the largest revenue contributor, which accounted for more than 60% of total revenue in 2024. LGES also manufactures batteries for mobility, mobile phones, laptops, electrical devices, and energy storage systems. The company was spun off from LG Chem’s battery division in December 2020 and listed on the Korea Exchange in January 2022. It has global manufacturing facilities in Korea, China, Poland, and the United States. Key customers include General Motors, Tesla, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Stellantis.

Vale is a large global miner and the world’s largest producer of iron ore and pellets. In recent years the company has sold noncore assets such as its fertilizer, coal, and steel operations to concentrate on iron ore, nickel, and copper. Earnings are dominated by its iron ore business. The base metals division is much smaller, consisting of nickel mines and smelters along with copper mines producing copper in concentrate. In 2024, Vale sold a minority 10% stake in its base metals business, likely the first step in separating base metals and iron ore.

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp is a precious metal streaming company. Its reportable segment includes: Gold, Silver, Palladium, Platinum, Cobalt, and Other. It generates its revenue from the sale of precious metals (gold, silver and palladium) and cobalt.

Previously one of the more diversified major miners, in May 2024 Anglo American announced that it will restructure to focus on copper, iron ore, and crop nutrients, while selling or spinning off its other businesses. It sold out of platinum group metals in September 2025, and will likely sell or demerge and spin off its majority-owned De Beers diamonds business, in most years the world's largest supplier and marketer of rough gem diamonds by value. It is again trying to sell its remaining metallurgical coal mines after Peabody pulled out of a deal to buy them. Anglo also plans to move back into the crop nutrients business via its Woodsmith polyhalite project in the UK. In September 2025, it also agreed to merge with Teck, with the deal likely to complete in late 2026 or early 2027.

CMOC Group Ltd is engaged in the mining and processing smelting, deep processing, trade, research and development of molybdenum, tungsten, copper, gold, and other precious and base metals. The company has both upstream and downstream operations including molybdenum mining, processing, roasting, molybdenum chemical products, and molybdenum metal processing. The company has operating segments, namely Molybdenum Tungsten-related products, Copper and gold-related products, Niobium and Phosphorus-related products, Copper and Cobalt-related products, metal trading, and others. It derives a majority of its revenue from China.

ArcelorMittal SA is involved in the steel industry. The company's operating segments include North America, Brazil, Europe, India and JVs, Sustainable Solutions, Mining and Other . It generates maximum revenue from the Europe segment. Europe segment produces hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, coated products, tinplate, plate, and slab. These products are sold to customers in the automotive, general, and packaging sectors as well as also produce long products consisting of sections, wire rods, rebar, billets, blooms and wire drawing, and tubular products. Geographically, it derives a majority of its revenue from United States.

Ford Motor Co. manufactures automobiles under its Ford and Lincoln brands. In March 2022, the company announced that it will run its combustion engine business, Ford Blue, and its BEV business, Ford Model e, as separate businesses but still all under Ford Motor. The company has over 13% market share in the United States, about 10% share in the UK, and just over 1% share in China including Taiwan and unconsolidated affiliates. Sales in the US made up about 65% of 2025 total company revenue. Ford has about 169,000 employees, including about 56,300 UAW employees, and is based in Dearborn, Michigan.

Antofagasta PLC is a Chilean copper mining company. The company operates four copper mines in Chile, two of which produce volumes of by-products. The company also has a portfolio of growth opportunities located mainly in Chile. In addition to mining, the company has a transport division providing rail and road cargo services in northern Chile to mining customers. Geographically, the company's operations are located in the Antofagasta Region of northern Chile except for its flagship operation, Los Pelambres, which is in the Coquimbo Region of central Chile. The operating business segments are Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya, Zaldivar, Exploration and evaluation, Corporate and other items, and Transport division. The Los Pelambres segment drives maximum revenue.

Vistra Corp. is one of the largest power producers and retail energy providers in the USA. It owns 44 gigawatts of generation capacity, including natural gas (27 GW), nuclear (6.5 GW), coal (8.7 GW), and solar and battery storage (1.4 GW). The Cogentrix acquisition will add 5.5 GW of gas generation. Vistra's retail electricity business serves 5 million customers in 20 states, including almost a third of all Texas electricity consumers. Vistra emerged from the Energy Future Holdings bankruptcy as a stand-alone entity in 2016.

Anglogold Ashanti PLC is one of the gold miners. The company also produces silver and sulphuric acid as by-products. Its operating divisions are Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The firm generates a majority of its revenue from the Africa region which includes its operations of the Kibali, Iduapriem, Obuasi, Siguiri, and Geita mines.

Franco-Nevada Corp is a precious-metals-focused royalty and investment company. The company owns a diversified portfolio of precious metals and royalty streams, which is actively managed to generate the bulk of its revenue from gold, silver, and platinum. The company does not operate mines, develop projects, or conduct exploration. The company's short-term financial performance is linked to the price of commodities and the amount of production from its portfolio of producing assets. Its long-term performance is affected by the availability of exploration and development capital. The company holds a portfolio of assets, diversified by commodity, revenue type, and stage of a project.

Zijin Gold International Co Ltd is engaged in the exploration, mining, processing, and sale of gold, in the form of gold ingots, gold alloys, and gold concentrates. The group is focused on the exploration and development of premium gold assets world-wide. Its portfolio includes Akim Gold Mine, Buritica Gold Mine, Rossbell Gold Mine, Aurora Gold Mine, Norton Gold Fields, Porgera Gold Mine, Jilao/Taro Gold Mine, and Left Bank Gold Mine.

Cameco Corp is a provider of uranium needed to generate clean, reliable baseload electricity around the globe and is one of those uranium producers. It has three reportable segments: Uranium, Fuel Services, and Westinghouse, deriving maximum revenue from the Westinghouse segment. The Uranium segment involves the exploration for, mining, milling, purchase, and sale of uranium concentrate, while the Fuel Services segment involves the refining, conversion, and fabrication of uranium concentrate and the purchase and sale of conversion services. Westinghouse Electric Company provides products and services to nuclear reactors, including outage and maintenance services, engineering support, instrumentation and controls equipment, plant modification, and components and parts.

Waste Connections is a North American waste management company focused on integrated waste collection services. The firm primarily focuses on residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial waste collection, with a secondary market focus on rural areas. With 113 landfills and 222 transfer stations as of 2024, it is the third-largest waste management company by revenue. Revenue is split among six operating segments: Western, Southern, Eastern, Central, Canada, and Midsouth.

Shandong Hongqiao Aluminum Industry Holding Co Ltd is engaged in the research and development, production, and sale of aluminum products, including aluminum plates, strips, foils, alumina, electrolytic aluminum, and deep-processed aluminum materials. Its business activities include non-ferrous metal rolling and processing, non-ferrous metal alloy manufacturing, and the development and sale of new metal functional materials.

Fortescue is an Australia-based iron ore miner. It has grown from obscurity at the start of 2008 to become the world's fourth-largest producer. Growth was fueled by debt, now repaid. Expansion from 55 million metric tons in fiscal 2012 to about 195 million metric tons in 2025 means Fortescue supplies around 10% of global seaborne iron ore. Further expansion to about 210 million metric tons is likely once its 22 million metric ton Iron Bridge magnetite mine ramps up, likely in 2028. However, with longer-term demand likely to decline as China's economy matures, its future margins are likely to be below historical averages. More recently, Fortescue diversified into copper and green energy. It has big ambitions here but its efforts are at an early stage.

Steel Dynamics Inc operates as a domestic steel producer and metal recycler in the United States. The company's product portfolio comprises hot rolled sheet, hot rolled plate, painted sheet products, cold rolled sheet, and others. Its reportable segments are steel operations, metals recycling operations, steel fabrication operations, and aluminum operations. Maximum revenue is generated from its steel operations segment, which consists of manufacturing various steel products and numerous coating operations. Its primary sources of revenue are currently from the manufacture and sale of steel products, the processing and sale of recycled ferrous and nonferrous metals, and the fabrication and sale of steel joists and deck products.

Gold Fields Ltd is a producer of gold and is a holder of gold reserves and resources in South Africa, Ghana, Australia and Peru. In Peru, the company also produces copper. The company is involved in underground and surface gold and surface copper mining and silver and related activities, including exploration, extraction, processing and smelting. It conducts underground and surface mining operations at St. Ives, underground-only operations at Agnew, Granny Smith and South Deep and surface-only open pit mining at Damang, Tarkwa and Cerro Corona. The company's revenues are derived from the sale of gold that it produces.

Shaanxi Coal Industry Co Ltd is a China-based company, principally engaged in the mining, dressing by washing, transportation, and sales of coal. The company's coal products are mainly applied in power, chemical engineering, and metallurgy, among others. The company distributes its products mainly within domestic markets.

JSW Steel Ltd is an India-based company that is engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling steel products. Its steel products include semis, hot-rolled steel, cold-rolled steel, galvanized steel, color-coated steel, and long products. Its flat steel products (including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products), which account for the majority of the company's steel volume, are used in Indian automotive, construction, infrastructure, engineering, and consumer durable industries. Its long products are used in the Indian construction, infrastructure, and automotive industries. The company generates the majority of its revenue from the Indian domestic market.

Vestas is a leading manufacturer of wind turbines with the highest installed capacity under service in the world. The firm operates two business segments: power solutions and services. The power solutions segment designs, manufactures, and installs onshore and offshore wind turbines. The services segment performs operating and maintenance service work on wind turbines.

Kinross Gold is a Canada-based gold producer, producing roughly 2 million gold equivalent ounces in 2025. The company had about a decade of gold reserves at the end of 2025. It operates mines in the Americas and West Africa after selling its low-cost Russian operations in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Kinross has historically used acquisitions to fuel expansion into new regions and production growth. In 2022, Kinross purchased the Great Bear project in Canada. If developed as we think likely, it could produce an average of more than 500,000 ounces of gold per year for at least a decade, with its unit cash costs likely in the first quartile of the industry cost curve. Though Great Bear's production is likely to be replacement ounces for falling volumes at other mines.

Teck is a base metals miner with copper and zinc operations in Canada, the United States, Chile, and Peru. After selling its metallurgical coal business, copper is now its major commodity by EBITDA contribution, followed by zinc. Teck is a top-three zinc miner. Its major new copper mine in Chile at the majority-owned Quebrada Blanca 2, in partnership with Sumitomo, will drive an increase in Teck’s attributable copper production by roughly 80%. Along with a number of additional copper growth options, Teck’s strategy is to rebalance its portfolio to low-carbon metals such as copper. It sold its oil sands business in early 2023 and its coal business in mid-2024. In September 2025, it agreed to merge with Anglo American.

ATI Inc supplies specialty metals to various end markets, including aerospace and defense, oil and gas, automotive, and electrical energy, among many others. The company's operating segment includes High-Performance Materials and Components and Advanced Alloys and Solutions. The majority of revenue is from the High-Performance Materials segment. The High-Performance Materials segment is focused on a wide range of high-performance specialty materials, parts, and components for several the majority of end markets, including the aerospace & defense, medical, and energy markets. Geographically, it operates in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and Others, the majority is from the United States.

Danish company Orsted was named Dong Energy until the sale of all its oil and gas fields to Ineos in 2017, soon after the May 2016 initial public offering. Orsted is now focused on renewable assets, especially offshore wind farms. It operated 9.9 gigawatts of offshore wind farms at the end of 2024. The United Kingdom is the biggest country of operation, ahead of Germany and Denmark. The group intends to develop its footprint outside Europe with projects in Taiwan and in the US. Orsted also operates 4.8 GW of onshore wind and solar assets concentrated in the United States. The company is involved in more traditional utilities business like conventional power plants and gas supply, but these activities are noncore.

Fresnillo PLC explores, develops, and produces silver and gold resources mainly in Mexico. The company’s reportable segments comprise seven producing mines: the Fresnillo, Saucito, and Juanicipio underground silver mines located in Zacatecas; the Cienega underground silver-gold mine in Durango; the Herradura and Noche Buena surface gold mines in Sonora; and the San Julian underground silver-gold mine situated on the border of Chihuahua and Durango. Its mining operations involve both underground and open-pit mining methods, depending on the characteristics of each deposit.