Is this deal as good as it seems for USA Rare Earth? It's not only precious metals that have emerged as a prominent investing theme over the past year. Rare-earth stocks are also having their moment in the sun. USA Rare Earth (USAR 6.76%), for example, recently signed a major agreement with the U.S. government that many investors believe will help spur the company's growth. Let's take a closer loo...
Is this deal as good as it seems for USA Rare Earth? It's not only precious metals that have emerged as a prominent investing theme over the past year. Rare-earth stocks are also having their moment in the sun. USA Rare Earth (USAR 6.76%), for example, recently signed a major agreement with the U.S. government that many investors believe will help spur the company's growth. Let's take a closer look at the new agreement and examine some of the more salient points. Government involvement, share dilution, needed funds Lee Samaha: The January announcement is important because it de-risks the company's business model -- USA Rare Earth needs to fund the commercialization of the Round Top deposit in Texas, set to begin production in 2028 -- but it also adds political risk to the company's future via the 16.1 million shares to be issued to the U.S. government. Expand NASDAQ : USAR USA Rare Earth Today's Change ( -6.76 %) $ -1.58 Current Price $ 21.86 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.5B Day's Range $ 21.75 - $ 23.68 52wk Range $ 5.56 - $ 43.98 Volume 217K Avg Vol 17M That stake leaves the company open to political interference and regulatory impacts, not least as administrations will inevitably change in the future. That said, USA Rare Earth has one major factor in its favor to mitigate political risk: The Round Top deposit is the "richest known deposit of heavy rare earth elements," according to the company. The company aims to use its Hydromet facility in Colorado to separate rare-earth elements such as dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) -- essential for defense, electric vehicle, and renewable energy applications -- from rare-earth materials produced at Round Top. Given that key peer MP Materials' Mountain Pass contains mainly light rare-earth deposits, it's clear that USA Rare Earth has a strategic importance to the need for the U.S. to secure a domestic supply of critical heavy rare-earth materials and magnets. Scott Levine: There's no denying that the mining company is in a...
Key Points Shares of Nvidia are up 78% over the past 18 months. Nvidia has split its stock several times since its initial public offering. Investors can currently buy Nvidia stock at a discount to its historic valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Looking back on some of the noteworthy stock splits of 2025, like ServiceNow and Netflix, many investors have been searching for clues that...
Key Points Shares of Nvidia are up 78% over the past 18 months. Nvidia has split its stock several times since its initial public offering. Investors can currently buy Nvidia stock at a discount to its historic valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Looking back on some of the noteworthy stock splits of 2025, like ServiceNow and Netflix, many investors have been searching for clues that may hint at which stocks will split their stocks in 2026. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock, for example, has risen about 78% over the past 18 months as of this writing. Between the semiconductor stock's impressive performance and its continued prominence on investors' radars, many are wondering whether Nvidia will soon split its stock. The stock's recent rise, however, isn't a guarantee that management is readying for a stock split in the near future, so let's take a closer look at the factors that provide insight into the likelihood that Nvidia will soon appear on the stock split calendar. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Question marks surround a person's head. Image source: Getty Images. Splitting stock is familiar ground for Nvidia While Microsoft wins the title for the most stock splits (nine) of the Magnificent Seven stocks, Nvidia isn't far behind in second place, having split its stock six times since its initial public offering in 1999. The artificial intelligence (AI) titan's first go-round was in 2000, when it executed a 2-for-1 stock split, while its most recent was in 2024, when it completed a 10-for-1 split. Of course, the company's past stock splits don't guarantee that management will choose another split, but they're certainly a clear indication that the company isn't averse to the possibility. You don't need the power of AI computing to calculate the likelihood of Nvidia split...
Earnings Call Insights: Ecolab Inc. (ECL) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Christophe Beck stated, "2025 was another record year for Ecolab with record-breaking sales, margins, earnings per share and free cash flow." Beck highlighted that the company delivered 15% adjusted EPS growth in Q4, driven by "accelerating underlying sales growth and continued strong OI margin expansion." Organic sales grew 3%,...
Earnings Call Insights: Ecolab Inc. (ECL) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Christophe Beck stated, "2025 was another record year for Ecolab with record-breaking sales, margins, earnings per share and free cash flow." Beck highlighted that the company delivered 15% adjusted EPS growth in Q4, driven by "accelerating underlying sales growth and continued strong OI margin expansion." Organic sales grew 3%, with positive volume growth, and Food and Beverage, Pest Elimination, Life Sciences, and Specialty all saw growth rates of 5%–7%. Beck noted, "We also maintained strong double-digit growth in Global High-Tech and Ecolab Digital." Beck discussed the strategic priorities for 2026: "First, it's rapidly grow total value delivered to customers across our core businesses. Second, it's to accelerate our One Ecolab growth initiative. And third is to fuel our growth engines." He expects 3% to 4% organic sales growth in 2026, with growth accelerating through the year, and total reported sales, including the Ovivo Electronics acquisition, to grow upper single digits. Operating income margin is anticipated to expand 100 to 150 basis points to more than 19%, resulting in OI growth of 14% to 16%, and EPS growth of 12% to 15%. Beck highlighted innovation, including the launch of "direct-to-chip cooling as a service to the data center market," and AI-enabled digital solutions like "CIP IQ" and the expansion of the IQ suite for Institutional Specialty. He also noted the expansion of the Pest Intelligence platform and strengthened market position in Global High-Tech, especially with the integration of Ovivo Electronics. CFO Scott Kirkland said, "This 100 to 150 basis points is anchored on really 2 things: gross margins which is at 75 to 100 basis points annually... and then this 25 to 50 basis points of SG&A leverage annually through 2030." Outlook Beck indicated, "We expect 3% to 4% organic sales growth this year with growth accelerating as the year progresses, driven by strengthening volu...
Paola Giannoni/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Suncor Energy Inc. ( SU ) ( SU:CA ), Canada’s second-biggest oil sands firm by market cap, has delivered yet another strong quarter despite soft oil prices and poor weather conditions. With improved efficiency, the company set new quarterly records for its upstream production, refining throughput, and asset utilization. Share buybacks are gathering...
Paola Giannoni/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Suncor Energy Inc. ( SU ) ( SU:CA ), Canada’s second-biggest oil sands firm by market cap, has delivered yet another strong quarter despite soft oil prices and poor weather conditions. With improved efficiency, the company set new quarterly records for its upstream production, refining throughput, and asset utilization. Share buybacks are gathering steam in January and February, supported by strong cash flows. The stock has gained about 20% since my initial coverage in December, but I still see substantial upside for a continued buy rating. Suncor’s modest leverage, strong operating momentum, and decent shareholder returns combine to justify a more reasonable EV/EBITDA ratio than it currently trades at. Scheduled maintenance works, especially for the second quarter, will affect earnings and cash flows this year, but I expect the impact to be muted and temporary. 4Q25 Highlights Alberta’s record rainfall in October and deep freeze in December did not stop Suncor from boosting its upstream production and downstream throughput to new quarterly highs. By comparison, oil sands rival Imperial Oil ( IMO ) reported an output decline at its flagship Kearl mine due to bad weather, as well as a drop in refinery throughput, in the same quarter. At a Feb. 4 earnings call , Suncor CEO Richard Kruger attributed his firm’s winter resilience to truck automation, shift planning, and good maintenance of haul roads. We mine, we mine, come hell or high water, wet, dry, cold, hot, and we got to design and operate for that and maintain our assets. (Kruger, Feb. 4 earnings call) Operating efficiency has consistently improved since Kruger took the helm in early 2023. The company set a few three-year targets in 2024, including a C$3.3b ($2.4b) increase in normalized free funds flow and a $10 reduction in breakeven WTI price, and met them in the latest quarter, about a year ahead of schedule. The breakeven price has dropped to around $43. Adju...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 10, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Vladimir Tenev Chief Financial Officer — Shiv Verma Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Total platform assets -- $324 billion, reflecting nearly 70% growth year over year, driven by increased customer trust and new product initiatives. -- $324 billion, reflec...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 10, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Vladimir Tenev Chief Financial Officer — Shiv Verma Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Total platform assets -- $324 billion, reflecting nearly 70% growth year over year, driven by increased customer trust and new product initiatives. -- $324 billion, reflecting nearly 70% growth year over year, driven by increased customer trust and new product initiatives. Record net deposits -- $68 billion for the year, up 35%, with $16 billion in Q4 and eight consecutive quarters above $10 billion. -- $68 billion for the year, up 35%, with $16 billion in Q4 and eight consecutive quarters above $10 billion. Revenue -- $4.5 billion for the year, marking a 52% increase and the second consecutive year of 50%+ growth. -- $4.5 billion for the year, marking a 52% increase and the second consecutive year of 50%+ growth. Adjusted EBITDA -- $2.5 billion, up 76% with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 56% and incremental adjusted EBITDA margins above 70% for the third year. -- $2.5 billion, up 76% with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 56% and incremental adjusted EBITDA margins above 70% for the third year. Earnings per share (EPS) -- $2.05, a record, attributed to tight share count management. -- $2.05, a record, attributed to tight share count management. Q4 revenue -- $1.3 billion, up 27% year over year, setting a new quarterly record. -- $1.3 billion, up 27% year over year, setting a new quarterly record. Adjusted operating expenses plus SBC -- $597 million in Q4, managed about $15 million below guidance. -- $597 million in Q4, managed about $15 million below guidance. Gold subscribers -- 4.2 million, rising nearly 60% year over year with significant stated confidence in Gold's value proposition. -- 4.2 million, rising nearly 60% year over year with significant stated confidence in Gold's value proposition. Prediction market volume -- Over 12 billion contr...
imaginima/iStock via Getty Images A county commission in Pennsylvania denied a request by Talen Energy ( TLN ) to rezone hundreds of acres of land for the development of data centers, following opposition by residents in surrounding communities, Reuters reported Tuesday. The rezoning in Montour County was expected to serve Amazon data centers near Talen's ( TLN ) gas-fired power plant through a co...
imaginima/iStock via Getty Images A county commission in Pennsylvania denied a request by Talen Energy ( TLN ) to rezone hundreds of acres of land for the development of data centers, following opposition by residents in surrounding communities, Reuters reported Tuesday. The rezoning in Montour County was expected to serve Amazon data centers near Talen's ( TLN ) gas-fired power plant through a co-location arrangement, where data centers are located near the power source. Talen Energy ( TLN ) currently provides electricity to an Amazon data center co-located near the Susquehanna nuclear power plant elsewhere in Pennsylvania. Talen ( TLN ) said it plans to continue to pursue the data center development. More on Talen Energy Talen Energy: Everyone's Looking At The Finger, I'm Looking At The Moon Talen Energy: The Recent Pullback Puts A Good Opportunity On Sale Talen Energy: An Aggressive Electricity Price Play