Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM), or SQM, reported its first-quarter 2023 results last week; Albemarle (NYSE: ALB) did the same earlier this month. So, investors can now compare the two major lithium producers' results.

Keep in mind these caveats: Long-term investors should not place too much weight on a single quarter's performance. And neither company is a pure play on lithium, so their overall results will also be affected by the performances of their smaller, non-lithium businesses. 

Lithium stocks are garnering much investor attention mainly because they're a way to invest in the growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market. Lithium is used to make the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs, and these batteries are also used to produce energy storage products.  

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Source Fool.com