Uranium Energy (UEC +4.46%) stock tumbled 12.4% through 11:20 a.m. Tuesday, after reporting worse-than-expected losses in its Q3 earnings report.
Heading into earnings day, analysts weren't optimistic, forecasting Uranium Energy to lose $0.03 per share. When the news arrived, it turned out the uranium mining stock had lost $0.11 per share instead.
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Uranium Energy Q3 earnings
Uranium Energy is incurring costs to produce uranium but generating precious little revenue from selling it. Total sales over the past year amount to barely $20 million (for a company worth $6.2 billion, that's not a lot), and Uranium Energy didn't cite any actual revenue in Q3.
What the company did report was that two of its three U.S. production platforms are now operational, including the one at Burke Hollow, "America's largest greenfield ISR uranium project." And Uranium Energy says it produced 32,195 pounds of uranium concentrate in the quarter, at a total cost of $54.61 per pound and a cash cost of $46.69 per pound, with production expected to increase in Q4.
NYSEMKT: UEC
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What's next for Uranium Energy stock
Now Uranium Energy just needs to sell the uranium it's amassed. The company currently holds a stockpile of 1,456,000 pounds of uranium oxide, valued at $127 million "at market prices." With none of its uranium "hedged" (contracted to sell at long-term prices), Uranium Energy has the ability to sell whenever it thinks it can get the best price on the spot market.
When will it do so? That's hard to say. Currently, spot prices of $84.25 per pound are actually below long-term hedged contract price of $94 per pound. In a situation like this, it makes sense for Uranium Energy to bide its time.
That doesn't mean investors will be happy with the waiting, however.
