Ares Strategic Mining Secures $169 Million Pentagon Contract to Enhance Supply Chain Security
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 20 2026
0mins
Should l Buy LEU?
Source: PRnewswire
- Defense Contract Approval: Ares Strategic Mining has secured a Pentagon contract valued at $169 million initially, with potential task orders reaching $250 million over five years, establishing itself as the sole domestic supplier of acid-grade fluorspar, significantly enhancing its position in the critical mineral supply chain.
- Infrastructure Development Progress: The company has completed major infrastructure work at its Lost Sheep mine in Utah, including the installation of systems at both the underground mine and processing facility, with production expected to commence in 2026 to meet rising domestic demand.
- Financing Structure Optimization: Ares successfully raised $10.5 million through non-dilutive financing structures in October and secured approximately $3.66 million in additional capital through a sharing agreement with UK firm Sorbie Bornholm, accelerating the construction of the Acidspar Flotation Plant.
- Resource Potential Assessment: The company has identified germanium and gallium within its mining area, further enhancing its strategic importance in the U.S. critical mineral supply chain, especially against the backdrop of increasing demand for domestic production.
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Analyst Views on LEU
Wall Street analysts forecast LEU stock price to rise
14 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 185.200
Low
117.00
Averages
297.10
High
390.00
Current: 185.200
Low
117.00
Averages
297.10
High
390.00
About LEU
Centrus Energy Corp. is a supplier of nuclear fuel components for the nuclear power industry. Its segments include Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. Its LEU segment supplies various components of nuclear fuel to commercial customers from its global network of suppliers. The LEU segment consists of two components: SWU and natural uranium hexafluoride. It supplies LEU and its components to both domestic and international utilities for use in nuclear reactors worldwide. It provides LEU from multiple sources, including its inventory, medium- and long-term supply contracts, and spot purchases. It also sells natural uranium hexafluoride and occasionally sells uranium concentrates. The Technical Solutions segment provides advanced engineering, design, and manufacturing services to government and private sector customers. It is deploying uranium enrichment and other capabilities necessary to produce advanced nuclear fuel to power existing reactors around the world.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Centrus Energy Shares Recover as Analysts Remain Bullish
- Price Recovery: Centrus Energy shares have risen by 7% to $13.20, returning to early September levels, indicating a resurgence of investor confidence and positioning the stock to end the week positively.
- Analyst Support: Despite Centrus's recent earnings report failing to meet revenue and profit expectations, leading to some sell-offs, analysts remain optimistic, with JPMorgan lowering its price target to $236, still implying over 12% upside potential.
- Strong Backlog: With a robust $3.8 billion backlog, Centrus is well-positioned to thrive amid the ongoing nuclear renaissance, showcasing consistent profitability despite short-term challenges.
- Market Reaction: Supported by analysts, investor buying interest in Centrus has increased, reflecting strong confidence in the company's future growth potential, even after missing expectations.
See More
Centrus Energy Shares Plunge Over 11% Amid Earnings Miss
- Significant Stock Decline: Centrus Energy's shares fell over 11% on Thursday, marking a 20% loss in 2025 so far, reflecting investor concerns about its future performance after a staggering 500% increase earlier in the year, indicating a sharp shift in market sentiment.
- Earnings Miss Expectations: The company's February 11 earnings report revealed a 3.5% drop in fourth-quarter revenue and a 6.3% decline in net income for the year, coupled with flat revenue guidance for 2026, which raised doubts about its growth prospects and pressured the stock further.
- Backlog and Production Plans: Despite signing $2.1 billion in low-enriched uranium (LEU) sales contracts and plans to expand its Ohio facility for large-scale HALEU production, the failure to meet analyst expectations has led to skepticism about Centrus's execution capabilities, impacting investor confidence.
- Analysts Remain Optimistic: Even amidst short-term volatility, Roth Capital raised Centrus's price target from $125 to $137 post-earnings, reflecting analysts' confidence in its long-term growth potential, particularly given its dominant position in the HALEU market, which is expected to support future development.
See More
Shift in Nuclear Energy Sentiment Benefits Centrus Energy
- Growing Nuclear Demand: With the surge in electricity needs from artificial intelligence and data centers, the U.S. Department of Energy has set an ambitious target to quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050, which is expected to drive rapid growth in the nuclear energy market.
- Centrus Energy Opportunity: Centrus Energy aims to transition from a procurer to a producer of nuclear fuel, particularly as the U.S. seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian uranium imports, which will significantly increase market demand for domestic suppliers.
- Funding Support: In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Centrus a $900 million task order to expand its Ohio facility, which will help strengthen domestic enrichment capabilities and kickstart high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) supply chains.
- Production Timeline: Centrus projects that the first new production cascade at Piketon will be operational within 42 months after securing funds and commercial commitments, with subsequent cascades taking progressively shorter build times, highlighting its strategic potential in the nuclear fuel supply chain.
See More
Centrus Energy Corp. Reports Q4 2025 Earnings Highlights
- Major Contract Award: Centrus Energy secured a $900 million HALEU enrichment award in December 2025, marking America's return to domestic commercial uranium enrichment, which is expected to drive future revenue growth and market share expansion.
- Revenue and Profit Growth: Total revenue for 2025 was reported at $448.7 million, a 1.5% increase over 2024, with the LEU segment contributing $346.2 million, indicating strong performance and improved profitability in the uranium market.
- Workforce Expansion: The company plans to hire over 140 employees in 2025 and at least 150 more in 2026, aimed at supporting the upcoming uranium enrichment production demands and enhancing operational capacity and market responsiveness.
- Future Outlook: Management provided guidance for 2026 total revenue between $425 million and $475 million, with capital expenditures of $350 million to $500 million, reflecting confidence in future growth and proactive responses to market demand.
See More
Centrus Energy Reports Disappointing Q4 Results
- Earnings Decline: Centrus Energy reported Q4 earnings of $0.79 per share, significantly missing Wall Street's expectation of $1.28 by 38.09%, indicating a notable decline in profitability.
- Revenue Miss: The company's quarterly revenue of $146.2 million fell short of the consensus estimate of $146.34 million and decreased from $151.6 million year-over-year, reflecting weakened market demand and intensified competition.
- Stock Volatility: Following the earnings release, Centrus Energy's stock initially dropped 9.05% in after-hours trading and fell 19.87% during Wednesday's session, signaling investor concerns about the company's outlook.
- Future Guidance: Centrus Energy anticipates fiscal 2026 revenue between $425 million and $475 million, suggesting potential long-term growth despite current pressures.
See More
Centrus Energy Shares Plunge 19.3% After Disappointing Q4 Results
- Disappointing Earnings: Centrus Energy reported Q4 2025 revenue of $146.2 million, falling short of analysts' expectations of $147.1 million, which represents a 3.6% year-over-year decline, indicating pressure in the competitive market that could affect future investor confidence.
- Declining EPS: The company posted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.79, significantly below the expected $1.63, and down from $3.20 and $3.58 in Q4 2024 and 2023 respectively, highlighting a notable decrease in profitability.
- Strong Backlog: Despite the disappointing earnings report, Centrus Energy's backlog grew to $3.8 billion at the end of 2025 from $3.7 billion at the end of 2024, indicating potential for future business growth.
- Market Reaction: As of 11:38 a.m. ET, Centrus Energy shares have plunged 19.3%, reflecting investor disappointment over the earnings report, which may impact the company's positioning in the nuclear energy sector.
See More
Centrus Energy Shares Recover as Analysts Remain Bullish
- Price Recovery: Centrus Energy shares have risen by 7% to $13.20, returning to early September levels, indicating a resurgence of investor confidence and positioning the stock to end the week positively.
- Analyst Support: Despite Centrus's recent earnings report failing to meet revenue and profit expectations, leading to some sell-offs, analysts remain optimistic, with JPMorgan lowering its price target to $236, still implying over 12% upside potential.
- Strong Backlog: With a robust $3.8 billion backlog, Centrus is well-positioned to thrive amid the ongoing nuclear renaissance, showcasing consistent profitability despite short-term challenges.
- Market Reaction: Supported by analysts, investor buying interest in Centrus has increased, reflecting strong confidence in the company's future growth potential, even after missing expectations.
See More
Centrus Energy Shares Plunge Over 11% Amid Earnings Miss
- Significant Stock Decline: Centrus Energy's shares fell over 11% on Thursday, marking a 20% loss in 2025 so far, reflecting investor concerns about its future performance after a staggering 500% increase earlier in the year, indicating a sharp shift in market sentiment.
- Earnings Miss Expectations: The company's February 11 earnings report revealed a 3.5% drop in fourth-quarter revenue and a 6.3% decline in net income for the year, coupled with flat revenue guidance for 2026, which raised doubts about its growth prospects and pressured the stock further.
- Backlog and Production Plans: Despite signing $2.1 billion in low-enriched uranium (LEU) sales contracts and plans to expand its Ohio facility for large-scale HALEU production, the failure to meet analyst expectations has led to skepticism about Centrus's execution capabilities, impacting investor confidence.
- Analysts Remain Optimistic: Even amidst short-term volatility, Roth Capital raised Centrus's price target from $125 to $137 post-earnings, reflecting analysts' confidence in its long-term growth potential, particularly given its dominant position in the HALEU market, which is expected to support future development.
See More
Shift in Nuclear Energy Sentiment Benefits Centrus Energy
- Growing Nuclear Demand: With the surge in electricity needs from artificial intelligence and data centers, the U.S. Department of Energy has set an ambitious target to quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050, which is expected to drive rapid growth in the nuclear energy market.
- Centrus Energy Opportunity: Centrus Energy aims to transition from a procurer to a producer of nuclear fuel, particularly as the U.S. seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian uranium imports, which will significantly increase market demand for domestic suppliers.
- Funding Support: In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Centrus a $900 million task order to expand its Ohio facility, which will help strengthen domestic enrichment capabilities and kickstart high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) supply chains.
- Production Timeline: Centrus projects that the first new production cascade at Piketon will be operational within 42 months after securing funds and commercial commitments, with subsequent cascades taking progressively shorter build times, highlighting its strategic potential in the nuclear fuel supply chain.
See More
Centrus Energy Corp. Reports Q4 2025 Earnings Highlights
- Major Contract Award: Centrus Energy secured a $900 million HALEU enrichment award in December 2025, marking America's return to domestic commercial uranium enrichment, which is expected to drive future revenue growth and market share expansion.
- Revenue and Profit Growth: Total revenue for 2025 was reported at $448.7 million, a 1.5% increase over 2024, with the LEU segment contributing $346.2 million, indicating strong performance and improved profitability in the uranium market.
- Workforce Expansion: The company plans to hire over 140 employees in 2025 and at least 150 more in 2026, aimed at supporting the upcoming uranium enrichment production demands and enhancing operational capacity and market responsiveness.
- Future Outlook: Management provided guidance for 2026 total revenue between $425 million and $475 million, with capital expenditures of $350 million to $500 million, reflecting confidence in future growth and proactive responses to market demand.
See More
Centrus Energy Reports Disappointing Q4 Results
- Earnings Decline: Centrus Energy reported Q4 earnings of $0.79 per share, significantly missing Wall Street's expectation of $1.28 by 38.09%, indicating a notable decline in profitability.
- Revenue Miss: The company's quarterly revenue of $146.2 million fell short of the consensus estimate of $146.34 million and decreased from $151.6 million year-over-year, reflecting weakened market demand and intensified competition.
- Stock Volatility: Following the earnings release, Centrus Energy's stock initially dropped 9.05% in after-hours trading and fell 19.87% during Wednesday's session, signaling investor concerns about the company's outlook.
- Future Guidance: Centrus Energy anticipates fiscal 2026 revenue between $425 million and $475 million, suggesting potential long-term growth despite current pressures.
See More
Centrus Energy Shares Plunge 19.3% After Disappointing Q4 Results
- Disappointing Earnings: Centrus Energy reported Q4 2025 revenue of $146.2 million, falling short of analysts' expectations of $147.1 million, which represents a 3.6% year-over-year decline, indicating pressure in the competitive market that could affect future investor confidence.
- Declining EPS: The company posted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.79, significantly below the expected $1.63, and down from $3.20 and $3.58 in Q4 2024 and 2023 respectively, highlighting a notable decrease in profitability.
- Strong Backlog: Despite the disappointing earnings report, Centrus Energy's backlog grew to $3.8 billion at the end of 2025 from $3.7 billion at the end of 2024, indicating potential for future business growth.
- Market Reaction: As of 11:38 a.m. ET, Centrus Energy shares have plunged 19.3%, reflecting investor disappointment over the earnings report, which may impact the company's positioning in the nuclear energy sector.
See More
