Analyst Ratings January 28, 2026

Roth/MKM Lifts Energy Fuels to Neutral as Uranium Sentiment Strengthens

Analyst raises price target while flagging stretched valuation amid strong stock gains and strategic moves into rare earths

By Hana Yamamoto UUUU
Roth/MKM Lifts Energy Fuels to Neutral as Uranium Sentiment Strengthens
UUUU

Roth/MKM upgraded Energy Fuels (UUUU) from Sell to Neutral, citing positive near-term catalysts and improving uranium market sentiment. The firm increased its price target to $15.50 from $13.00 but noted that this target remains below the company’s recent trading level. Energy Fuels has reported sizeable production and strategic expansion moves, including a planned acquisition of Australian Strategic Materials and a high-value feasibility study for a Madagascar rare earths project.

Key Points

  • Roth/MKM upgraded Energy Fuels from Sell to Neutral and raised its price target to $15.50 from $13.00, while noting the target remains below the current share price.
  • Energy Fuels has seen strong share appreciation - roughly 358% over the past year and 140% over the last six months - and has surpassed its 2025 uranium production and sales guidance by producing over 1 million pounds of finished uranium.
  • The company is pursuing strategic expansion into rare earths via a $299 million acquisition of Australian Strategic Materials and a feasibility study for the Vara Mada project in Madagascar with a reported $1.8 billion post-tax NPV and a projected 38-year mine life.

Roth/MKM has revised its recommendation on Energy Fuels (UUUU), moving the stock from Sell to Neutral as recent market drivers and sentiment tilt the near-term outlook toward the positive. The research house also raised its 12-month price target to $15.50 from $13.00, an increase of $2.50 in its valuation assessment.

The firm’s new price target, however, still sits well below the prevailing market price of $24.16, a gap that Roth/MKM interprets as evidence of a stretched valuation despite the upgrade. Over the past year, Energy Fuels shares have climbed roughly 358%, and the stock has appreciated about 140% in the last six months alone.

In explaining the change in stance, Roth/MKM pointed to what it described as "near-term catalysts and sentiment" that are "likely to lean positive." The analysts emphasized that robust market sentiment combined with a climbing uranium spot price should help counterbalance any short-term pullbacks in the share price.

The firm’s note framed Energy Fuels as positioned to benefit from improving conditions within the uranium market. That positioning is reinforced by a series of corporate developments the company has publicly announced.

Among those developments is Energy Fuels’ agreement to acquire Australian Strategic Materials Limited in a transaction valued at $299 million. Management expects the combination to create a leading producer of rare earth elements outside of China by joining ASM’s processing capabilities with Energy Fuels’ existing assets.

Separately, Energy Fuels published a feasibility study for its Vara Mada Mineral Sands and Rare Earths Project in Madagascar. That study reported a post-tax net present value of $1.8 billion and outlined a project with substantial expected annual earnings over a projected 38-year mine life.

The company has also reported operational momentum in its uranium business, stating that it exceeded its 2025 uranium production and sales guidance by producing over 1 million pounds of finished uranium. As a result, Energy Fuels increased both near-term and longer-term sales guidance.

Despite those advances, broader industry challenges remain. The article notes that restrictions imposed by China on rare earth elements continue to present headwinds for the U.S. sector, a dynamic that persists even after an agreement intended to lift those measures, according to a Bloomberg report.

Roth/MKM’s upgrade therefore reflects a balance: catalysts and rising commodity prices support a more constructive view, while a price target materially below the current market level underscores valuation risk. Investors and sector observers will likely be watching how uranium spot prices, execution on the ASM acquisition and progress on the Madagascar project influence sentiment and fundamentals going forward.

Risks

  • Valuation risk - Roth/MKM's price target of $15.50 remains below the prevailing market price of $24.16, indicating potential for a near-term correction in the stock.
  • Geopolitical and market access risk - Continued restrictions by China on rare earth elements create headwinds for the U.S. rare earths industry and could affect project economics and market dynamics.
  • Execution and commodity price risk - Realizing benefits from the ASM acquisition and the Madagascar feasibility study depends on execution, while swings in the uranium spot price will influence sentiment and revenue prospects.

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