Top 3 Year-to-Date Performances by Uranium Companies

Given increasing interest in the uranium market as reactors restart in Japan and utilities companies start snapping up the energy source, Uranium Investing News took a look at the top three year-to-date performances from mid-tier and junior uranium companies.

Uranium was at US$28 a pound in the summer, with companies concerned about the long-term future of the mineral. Since then, it’s seen nothing short of a meteoric rise, with prices as of Monday holding at the $40 range. David Talbot, an analyst with Dundee Capital Research, highlighted that what’s spurring that movement is the fact that several long-term uranium supply contracts are coming to an end, meaning utilities companies are back on the hunt for a steady source of uranium. That news has been boosted by news of Japanese reactor restarts.

Three companies have not only survived the turbulent market, but flourished through it. NexGen Energy (TSXV:NXE), Energy Fuels (TSX:EFR) and Anfield Resources (TSXV:ARY) have all seen share price increases of more than 40 percent year-to-date.

Companies on the podium

NexGen Energy saw its share price increase roughly 49 percent as it had a busy year both at its project and in the courtroom. The initial spike in its share price came in February when it started drilling at the Arrow target on its Rook 1 project in the Athabasca Basin. Since then, the company has reported drilling results seemingly every couple of months. In August it reported 3.42 percent U3O8 at 22.35 meters and 15.74 percent U3O8 at 4.5 meters at Arrow.

The company also had a lawsuit filed by Alpha Exploration (TSXV:AEX) dismissed by the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Alpha had filed the lawsuit against both NexGen and Garrett Ainsworth — a former Alpha employee who left the company to become NexGen’s vice president of exploration and development — in July. The case was eventually dismissed in October, providing peace of mind for investors.

Energy Fuels was a close second with a 46-percent share price increase this year-to-date. A spike in March gave hope for investors, with the company’s share price reaching a high of $12.85 before regressing. It now sits comfortably in the $8 to $9 range. The company’s sale of its Pinon Ridge mill license and other assets has helped it improve its cash position.

“I believe that the operational strategy we adopted two years ago, which included tailoring our uranium production levels to meet our long-term sales contract requirements, focusing on our lower cost sources of production, driving G&A cost reductions and completing non-core asset sales, has proven to be a very prudent strategy and has been well-executed by our team,” said Stephen Antony, president and CEO of Energy Fuels, in a release on November 12.

Furthermore, long-term contracts helped the company stay strong during the uranium spot price plunge this summer.

Rounding out the top three is Anfield Resources, a junior uranium company with projects scattered across Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota and Utah. The company is up 44 percent for the year, having bought the Shootaring Canyon mill in Utah in August. It is one of three licensed conventional uranium mills in the United States. The mill has an acid-leach facility licensed to produced up to 750 tons of ore a day.

What does the future hold?

A variety of companies have spoken of the collective belief that the uranium market is set to improve over the coming years. While companies obviously have a vested interest, analysts have also echoed those claims. With uranium prices seemingly set to go rise further, the future looks bright for the uranium industry.

Securities Disclosure: I, Nick Wells, hold no direct or indirect investment in any of the companies mentioned in this article.