Top 3 Uranium Stocks on the TSX and TSXV (Updated July 2022)

Year-to-date gain: 16.95 percent; market capitalization: C$11.96 million; current share price: C$0.10

Searchlight Resources is a uranium- and gold-focused explorer and developer working on projects in Saskatchewan, Canada, a prolific jurisdiction for uranium. The company is exploring its 100 percent owned Kulyk Lake South uranium project, and it also holds the Duddridge Lake uranium-copper project, both of which are located south of the famous Athabasca Basin in Northern Saskatchewan. In addition to its uranium properties, the company has three gold projects, the Kulyk Lake North rare earth elements project and others.

While the company’s Q1 news focused on gold exploration, in Q2 and Q3 Searchlight has been looking at both of its uranium projects. On April 18, the company announced that an airborne survey at its Duddridge Lake project had highlighted new uranium targets for exploration. In late June, attention turned to Kulyk Lake, at which Searchlight commenced field work for uranium and rare earths targets; the field work was concluded by early July, and confirmed the results from a 2021 airborne radiometric survey. Results at Kulyk Lake South showed strong radioactivity at a previously unidentified target, including field scintillometer readings of up to 13,000 counts per second.

Company shares have moved alongside uranium prices so far in 2022, hitting a year-to-date high of C$0.12 on April 8.

Year-to-date gain: 10.03 percent; market capitalization: C$11.71 billion; current share price: C$30.49

Cameco is one of the top global uranium-mining companies, with active operations in Canada and Kazakhstan and suspended mines in the US. The company’s Canadian mines are the Cigar Lake joint venture, the world’s highest-grade uranium mine; and McArthur River/Key Lake, the world’s largest high-grade uranium mine and mill. Both are located in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. Cameco’s Inkai mine in Kazakhstan is a 40/60 joint venture between it and national operator Kazatomprom. Although McArthur River/Key Lake is currently under care and maintenance, Cameco announced it will slowly be bringing the operation back online.

The company’s year-to-date share price high came early in Q2, when it reached C$39.68 on April 13. In May, Cameco and Orano Canada, the majority owners of the Cigar Lake venture, bought out Idemitsu Canada Resources' 7.875 percent participating interest in the mine. Cameco’s ownership stake is now 54.547 percent. Cameco released its 2021 environmental, social and governance report in July. According to the report, the company had a record-setting safety performance for the fifth year in a row, and is one of Canada’s top employers of Indigenous people.

Year-to-date gain: 8.7 percent; market capitalization: C$193.45 million; current share price: C$0.375

UEX is a uranium-focused company exploring its Christie Lake uranium project in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. The company has a portfolio of 29 uranium projects around the Athabasca Basin region, five of which are in the advanced resource stage. In addition to its uranium projects, the company also has its West Bear cobalt-nickel project in the same jurisdiction, which UEX is exploring through its 100 percent owned subsidiary CoEX Metals.

In March and much of April, the company’s share price performed strongly, mostly holding above the C$0.40 mark, including a year-to-date high of C$0.43 on March 22. In early April, the company completed its 2022 winter exploration programs at Christie Lake, as well as at the Hidden Bay uranium-nickel project. The company also updated the technical reports for its Shea Creek, Horsehoe-Raven and Christie Lake uranium mines in June and July.

Although the company’s share price fell in May, it spiked again following significant news for the company in early June, when a proposed acquisition of UEX by Uranium Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:UEC) was announced. “This transaction with UEC reflects the efforts of the UEX team to create value through building an attractive strategic portfolio of assets and ultimately delivers a great outcome for UEX shareholders,” UEX President and CEO Roger Lemaitre said in the press release. The company began its summer drill program at Christie Lake in July; the program will include a planned 12 holes and 8,000 meters of drilling.