It would be fair to say pretty much every ASX 200 lithium share had a tumultuous year in 2023.
As lithium commodity prices tumbled (by more than 80% in carbonate's case), miners of the white gold faced many challenges, not just in terms of earnings but also costs amid rising inflation and interest rates.
In this article, we take a look at the performance of three popular ASX 200 lithium shares.
On the basis of share price movement, did Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) or Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares have a better year in 2023?
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On share price movement, Liontown shares win
As the chart below shows, Liontown shares delivered superior gains last year.
The Liontown share price rose by 25% to close 2023 at $1.65. As you can see, the ASX 200 lithium junior skyrocketed following a takeover offer from US giant Albemarle Corporation in March.
Liontown shares hit an all-time high of $3.20 in June. Hancock Prospecting boss Gina Rinehart thwarted the deal after buying a 19.9% stake. Today, the Liontown share price is $1.39, down 2.11% for the day.
Liontown expects production to commence at its Kathleen Valley lithium project mid-year.
The Pilbara Minerals share price rose by 5.35% to close 2023 at $3.95. Today, Pilbara Minerals shares are trading for $3.60, up 0.98% for the day.
In recent news, Pilbara Minerals announced a near-doubling of its existing offtake agreement with China lithium giant Ganfeng Lithium Group Co Ltd.
The Core Lithium share price was thumped in 2023. Actually, it was the worst-performing share of the entire ASX 200. This was despite the company transitioning from developer to producer and reporting a maiden profit.
Core Lithium shares lost 75.5% of their value to close the year at 25 cents apiece. Today, the Core Lithium share price is steady at 21 cents.
In recent news, Core Lithium has halted mining operations at its Finniss project to save cash amid low lithium commodity prices. But it will continue to process existing ore stockpiles.
Pilbara Minerals shares the only dividend-payer
Among this trio, Pilbara Minerals was the only company to pay dividends in 2023.
Pilbara Minerals shares paid a maiden dividend of 11 cents in March. It paid a final dividend of 14 cents in September. All up, that's a total annual dividend of 25 cents fully franked.
This gives Pilbara Minerals shares a trailing dividend yield of 6.94%, which beats BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) or Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG).
But Pilbara Minerals shares are expected to pay lower dividends in FY24. Check out how these three miners compare on forecasted FY24 dividend yields here.
