Why has the Paladin Energy share price surged 11% in a month?

The Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) share price has lifted 10.74% in a month, with the company’s gains surviving a rout in the materials sector and the broader market over the past few days.

Shares in the uranium explorer are currently trading at 82.5 cents apiece.

The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) is down 2.45% over the week and has been consistently the worst-performing sector in the recent past. Zooming out, however, and it’s in the green with a 1.65% gain over the month.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has posted a small gain of 0.08% this week, and is up 6.07% over the month.

Some of Paladin’s peer companies in the materials sector have also performed well over the month. Here’s a snapshot of how they’ve performed.

• Stanmore Resources Ltd (ASX: SMR): +36.36%
• Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR): +20.43%
• Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT): +7.86%

There have been several developments over the month that could be adding optimism to the Paladin share price. Let’s cover the highlights.

What’s going on with the Paladin share price?

Paladin posted its quarterly cash flow and activities reports for the quarter ending in September on 20 October.

The uranium explorer finished with a cash and cash equivalent balance of $163.44 million and has an estimated 68 quarters of funding available.

In its activities report, Paladin CEO, Ian Purdy gave an overview of its recent operational developments.

Purdy said:

It was pleasing to see restart activities commence at the Langer Heinrich Mine during the quarter. The attractiveness of Paladin as a counterparty and the quality of the offtake from the Langer Heinrich Mine continues to be reflected in the ongoing engagement we have with global power utilities, and we were pleased to secure an additional four tender awards for the supply of uranium concentrate.

With the combination of restart activities and a successful uranium marketing program Paladin is exceptionally well-positioned to benefit from the improving uranium market conditions.

Broker names Paladin as a buy

The company also received some positive coverage from a broker, naming it as a hot pick for investors interested in taking advantage of global emerging trends.

Red Leaf Securities chief John Athanasiou believes the European energy crisis makes Paladin a buy as the world weans itself off the dependence on Russian natural gas.

Athanasiou said:

The political momentum towards uranium as a clean and reliable energy source, particularly in Europe, is gathering pace. The uranium company owns a 75% stake in the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia. The share price is highly correlated to the uranium price.

Athanasiou continued:

We expect increasing uranium prices to be reflected in an improving share price moving forward.

Paladin share price snapshot

The Paladin share price is down 6.25% year to date. The S&P/ASX 200 Index, on the other hand, is performing worse, with an 7.98% loss over the same period.

The company’s market capitalisation is around $2.45 billion.

The post Why has the Paladin Energy share price surged 11% in a month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Matthew Farley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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