Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX) is an interesting company in that it’s aspiring to be part of the uranium supply chain, but on the technology front rather than the mining front.

Uranium technology delivering results

The company is focused on commercialising the Silex laser isotope separation technology, which can be used to produce different grades of fuel for the nuclear power industry.

The company held an investor day recently where it invited analysts, including those from Shaw and Partners, to visit its facilities at Lucas Heights in New South Wales.

Shaw and Partners said in a note to clients following the visit:

Silex management outlined the progress post achieving Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6) last year. The first phase of commercialisation is reprocessing tails at the Paducah facility in Kentucky. Silex is on track for first production of uranium in 2030. On the site visit we also saw the zero spin silicon enrichment project in dry commissioning.

The Silex technology is owned by a joint venture company, Global Laser Enrichment (GLE), which is 51% owned by Silex and 49% owned by uranium major Cameco.

Shaw and Partners said the achievement of TRL-6, “started the clock ticking on Cameco’s option to acquire a 26% stake in GLE to move to 75% ownership”.

They added:

Cameco now has 30 months to make a decision. We note that Cameco is making increasingly optimistic comments about GLE on its result calls. We hosted a call with Cameco early this week at which Cameco repeated its optimism on the GLE technology.

Shaw and Partners said the Silex technology had the potential to re-enrich about 150 million pounds of previously processed uranium tailings back into mine-grade uranium.

They added:

One way to think about this opportunity is that (the Paducah facility) I will be a 5Mlb/yr uranium mine producing uranium at a cash cost of less than US$30/lb. For reference, Paladin’s Langer Heinrich operation is expected to produce 5-6Mlb of uranium at a cash cost in the high US$30s/lb once at full operation.

Silicon also a potentially large oppportunity

The company also announced on 29 June the construction of the world’s first laser-based silicon enrichment plant.

The company said:

Enriched silicon-28 in the form of high-purity Q-Si is required for next-generation silicon-based quantum computers being developed by advanced semiconductor companies around the world. Quantum computers, the first of which are expected to be commercialised by the end of the decade, could revolutionise the computing industry by providing an immense increase in computing power, compared to today’s most advanced classical chips made by companies such as Nvidia, Intel, IBM and AMD. Quantum computing is therefore expected to underpin a transformational performance uplift in the emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of $12.80 on Silex shares compared to $5.74 currently.

The company is valued at $1.59 billion.

The post This ASX uranium company could jump more than 100% in value: Broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Advanced Micro Devices, Cameco, Intel, International Business Machines, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

FleetPartners Group Ltd (ASX: FPR) shares are starting the week on the front foot.

At the time of writing, the FleetPartners share price is up 3.02% to $3.07.

The latest gain takes the ASX financial stock’s rise in 2026 to around 9%.

FleetPartners provides vehicle leasing, fleet management, and salary packaging services across Australia and New Zealand.

Investors are responding to the company’s third-quarter business update released this morning.

Here’s what FleetPartners reported.

New business growth picks up

FleetPartners said new business written rose 8% during the 9 months to June compared with the same period last year.

Growth accelerated during the third quarter, with new business written up 24% from a year earlier. The company wrote $246 million of new business during the quarter.

FleetPartners also completed $14 million of sale-and-leaseback transactions, while its June pipeline was 27% above the average level recorded during the first half.

The stronger result has prompted management to upgrade its FY26 new business written outlook from marginal growth to high-single-digit growth.

The company said the economic environment remains challenging, but new customer wins, contract renewals, and continued growth from smaller fleet customers are supporting the pipeline.

Core income continues to rise

Assets under management or financed (AUMOF) increased 6% year to date, while core income grew 7%.

FleetPartners had around 67,000 funded vehicles at the end of June, up 2% from March.

The novated leasing business also performed well, with new business written rising 20% from the prior corresponding period.

Management said stronger electric vehicle demand, increased sales activity, and the acquisition of Remunerator supported the growth.

The company still expects AUMOF to grow at a mid-single-digit rate in FY26, while its core margin should remain relatively stable.

Used-car market weighs on lease-end income

FleetPartners sold 1,618 vehicles during the quarter, a 31% reduction from the previous quarter. End-of-lease income came in at $8 million, while profit per unit fell to $4,951.

The company chose to hold back vehicles rather than accept weaker prices in a softer used-car market. Inventory increased by 448 units during the quarter as a result.

FleetPartners expects sales volumes and lease-end income to improve in the fourth quarter as the winter slowdown eases. However, lease-end income is still expected to remain below the levels recorded in the first two quarters.

Why are FleetPartners shares rising?

The upgrade to FY26 new business written is helping drive today’s gain.

FleetPartners is also growing its funded asset base and core income, while its pipeline remains well ahead of the first-half average.

The used-car market is still weighing on lease-end income, although management avoided selling more vehicles into weaker pricing.

The final quarter will show whether better disposal volumes can lift lease-end income as management expects.

The post Why this ASX financial stock is moving higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This fund’s 75% return smashed its benchmark, and it’s celebrating with a special dividend
• How high does Macquarie think Fortescue shares will go?
• Why this ASX mining stock is rocketing 33% after a US Government boost
• SpaceX shares continue to fall. Where will they end up?
• This 10% dividend yield stock is one I’m comfortable holding for the long-term

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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.

WAM Active Ltd (ASX: WAA) has had a stellar year and is rewarding its shareholders with a special dividend, pushing its total shareholder return for the year past 40%.

Fund outperforms its benchmarks by a healthy margin

The fund said in a statement to the ASX that its investment portfolio increased by a record 75.5% in the year to the end of June, outperforming the Bloomberg AusBond Bank Bill Index (Cash) and the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index by 71.6% and 69.8%, respectively.

Chairman Geoff Wilson said regarding the result:

FY2026 is the strongest year in WAM Active’s history since the Company was established in January 2008. This record result reflects the strength of WAM Active’s disciplined and flexible investment strategy, outstanding stock selection and active portfolio management. We remained focused on delivering strong long term returns and a growing stream of fully franked dividends for shareholders.

The WAM board has declared a fully-franked final dividend of 3.2 cents per share and a special dividend of 2 cents per share.

The fund added:

Including the special fully franked dividend of 1.0 cents per share announced in January 2026, shareholders will receive total fully franked dividends for FY2026 of 9.4 cents per share. The investment portfolio performance, together with the fully franked dividends paid during the year, delivered a record total shareholder return of 40.2% for the year to 30 June 2026.

WAM said the total dividends for FY26 represented a fully-franked dividend yield of 8.6% and a grossed-up dividend yield of 12.3%.

Fund leans into key themes

The fund’s lead portfolio manager, Oscar Oberg, said the fund’s outperformance was driven by exposure to four key themes: critical minerals, electrification and grid infrastructure, precious metals, and artificial intelligence (AI).

He added:

Equity markets over the 2026 financial year were characterised by elevated volatility, rapid shifts in macroeconomic expectations and pronounced rotation across sectors and themes. Changes to interest rate outlooks, geopolitical developments and the accelerating AI adoption contributed to periods where company fundamentals were often overshadowed by broader market positioning. These conditions created dislocations across parts of the market, particularly in smaller and less well-covered companies, providing opportunities for the investment team to identify mispriced securities using WAM Active’s market-driven approach.

Dividends are still on the table

The ex-dividend dates for the fund’s ordinary dividend and special dividend are 17 November and 4 December, respectively.

WAM shares are changing hands for $1.12, up 36.2% over a 12-month period.

The post This fund’s 75% return smashed its benchmark, and it’s celebrating with a special dividend appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Leading fund manager reveals 2 exciting ASX shares to buy

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.