In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile

The method

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$3.6b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.6%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₁ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$666m× (1 + 2.0%) ÷ (7.6%– 2.0%) = US$12b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$12b÷ ( 1 + 7.6%)¹⁰= US$5.9b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$9.5b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$47.9, the company appears potentially overvalued at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope – move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

The assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.6%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.030. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Moving On:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a premium to intrinsic value? For Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, there are three relevant aspects you should consider:

1. Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile that you should be aware of before investing here.

2. Future Earnings: How does SQM's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart.

3. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Passive investing in index funds can generate returns that roughly match the overall market. But investors can boost returns by picking market-beating companies to own shares in. To wit, the EnerSys (NYSE:ENS) share price is 55% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 39% (not including dividends) in the same period. That's a solid performance by our standards! Having said that, the longer term returns aren't so impressive, with stock gaining just 26% in three years.

See our latest analysis for EnerSys

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

During the last year EnerSys grew its earnings per share (EPS) by 4.2%. The share price gain of 55% certainly outpaced the EPS growth. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it a year ago.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

This free interactive report on EnerSys' earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that EnerSys shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 56% over the last year. And that does include the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 10% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for EnerSys that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Energy Fuels (UUUU) closed at $5.41 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.31% move from the prior day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.13%.

Heading into today, shares of the uranium and vanadium miner and developer had lost 22.72% over the past month, lagging the Basic Materials sector's loss of 4.51% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.39% in that time.

UUUU will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect UUUU to post earnings of -$0.04 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 50%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $5.48 million, up 1269.75% from the prior-year quarter.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of -$0.17 per share and revenue of $18.41 million. These totals would mark changes of +26.09% and +1010.62%, respectively, from last year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for UUUU. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. UUUU is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

The Mining – Non Ferrous industry is part of the Basic Materials sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 45, which puts it in the top 18% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.

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Investors looking for stocks in the Chemical – Diversified sector might want to consider either Huntsman (HUN) or FMC (FMC). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Huntsman and FMC are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that HUN has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

HUN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.31, while FMC has a forward P/E of 14.73. We also note that HUN has a PEG ratio of 0.18. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FMC currently has a PEG ratio of 1.34.

Another notable valuation metric for HUN is its P/B ratio of 1.54. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FMC has a P/B of 4.48.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to HUN's Value grade of A and FMC's Value grade of C.

HUN sticks out from FMC in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that HUN is the better option right now.

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BRISBANE, Australia, July 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE, TSX: ORL) (“Orocobre” or “the Company”) advises that production for the June 2021 quarter was 3,300 tonnes of lithium carbonate. Approximately 66% of production was battery grade lithium carbonate which is a significant increase on the June 2020 quarter that was 21% battery grade lithium carbonate.

Sales of Olaroz lithium carbonate during the June 2021 quarter were 2,549 tonnes at US$8,476/tonne FOB¹, with pricing up 45% on the March 2021 quarter. Lithium prices received by Olaroz are now up more than 170% in the last nine months.

Inventory has increased during the June quarter due to COVID-19 related transport delays and the requirement to hold additional safety stock in Japan to guarantee delivery into the Prime Planet Energy and Solutions (PPES) contract.

Full details of June quarter performance will be released in the production report on 22 July 2021 with a management briefing at 10.30am AEST (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) via a webcast available at www.orocobre.com. Written questions may be submitted via the webcast.

An archive copy of the briefing and Q&A session will subsequently be made available on the Company website.

Authorised by:

Richard S. Anthon
Joint Company Secretary

For more information please contact:

Andrew Barber
Chief Investor Relations Officer
Orocobre Limited
T: +61 7 3871 3985
M: +61 418 783 701
E: abarber@orocobre.com
W: www.orocobre.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OrocobreLimited
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orocobre-limited
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrocobreLimited/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orocobre/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/OrocobreLimited

Click here to subscribe to the Orocobre e-Newsletter

About Orocobre Limited

Orocobre Limited (Orocobre) is a dynamic global lithium carbonate producer and an established producer of boron. Orocobre is dual listed on the Australia and Toronto Stock Exchanges (ASX: ORE), (TSX: ORL). Orocobre’s interests include its Olaroz Lithium Facility in Northern Argentina, a material JORC Resource in the adjacent Cauchari Basin and Borax Argentina, an established boron minerals and refined chemicals producer. The Company has commenced an expansion at Olaroz and construction of the Naraha Lithium Hydroxide Plant in Japan. For further information, please visit www.orocobre.com.

_________________

¹ Orocobre report price as “FOB” (Free On Board) which excludes insurance and freight charges included in “CIF” (Cost, Insurance, Freight) pricing. Therefore, the Company’s reported prices are net of freight (shipping), insurance and sales commission. FOB prices are reported by the Company to provide clarity on the sales revenue that is recognized by SDJ, the joint venture company in Argentina.

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 8, 2021 / Solitario Zinc Corp. (" Solitario ") (NYSE American:XPL); (TSX:SLR ) is pleased to announce that exploration work has commenced on the Lik zinc project in Alaska. Joint Venture partners Solitario (50%) and Teck American Incorporated (50%), a wholly owned subsidiary of Teck Resources Limited ("Teck"), recently approved a jointly funded budget for the 2021 work program that consists of surface geochemical sampling, induced polarization ("IP") geophysics, and at least 2,000 feet of core drilling to test new exploration concepts and expand resources. Teck is one of the world's largest producers of mined zinc.

The Lik project hosts a potentially open-pitable Indicated Resource of 17.3 million tonnes grading 12.0% zinc equivalent and an additional 2.9 million tonnes of Inferred Resource grading 12.1% zinc-equivalent. Potentially underground mineable mineralization also occurs on the property. The project is situated approximately 14 miles northwest of Teck's operating Red Dog mine, one of the world's largest, highest grade and lowest cost zinc mines.

Chris Herald, President and CEO of Solitario, commented, "This is clearly an exciting new phase in the advancement of the Lik project, including the first exploration drilling program in ten years. It comes at a time of increased zinc demand and elevated zinc prices. The drilling program is focused on expanding the Lik resource in three different areas of the existing deposit, while the surface work targets potential new mineralization on trend to the northeast of the Lik deposit."

To take full advantage of Teck's thirty-five years of successful exploration and operational experience in the world-class Red Dog mining district, Solitario and Teck mutually agreed that Teck will act as project operator for the 2021 program. Geochemical sampling has begun with geophysics expected to begin by mid-July. Core drilling is expected to begin in July/August, pending the receipt of final drill permits. The current-year work will consist of the following components:

• Systematic geochemical soil sampling over a 2.5-mile trend to the northeast of the Lik deposit expanding recent favorable results.

• A geophysical program will consist of a new IP survey and will augment geologic and geochemical data in recently identified prospective areas on trend with Lik to the northeast. IP geophysics have been demonstrated to be very effective in locating zinc mineralization in the Red Dog District.

• Core drilling consisting of at least three holes totaling 2,000 feet (650 meters) will test resource expansion potential in three different parts of the currently defined Lik deposit.

The Lik Zinc-Lead Deposit

The Lik deposit is a large sediment-hosted zinc-lead-silver deposit in the Red Dog mining district. As presently defined, the Lik South deposit has a surface footprint of about 3,600 feet long and about 2,000 feet wide. The Lik South deposit remains open down dip. The Lik North deposit has a surface footprint of about 2,300 feet long and about 1,150 feet wide. The Lik North deposit remains open down-dip and to the north. A total of 125,300 feet of drilling in 229 holes has been completed on the Lik property to date.

About Solitario

Solitario is an emerging zinc exploration and development company traded on the NYSE American ("XPL") and on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("SLR"). Solitario holds 50% joint venture interest in the high-grade, open-pitable Lik zinc deposit in Alaska and a 39% joint venture interest (Nexa Resources holds the remaining 61% interest) on the high-grade Florida Canyon zinc project in Peru. Solitario's Management and Directors hold approximately 9.6% (excluding options) of the Company's 58.4 million shares outstanding. Solitario's cash balance and marketable securities stand at approximately US$6.9 million. Additional information about Solitario is available online at www.solitariozinc.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AT SOLITARIO, CONTACT:

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of Resources: This news release uses the terms "Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources." The Company advises U.S. investors that while these terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize the terms. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Reserves. Inferred Resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of a measured, indicated orinferred resource exists, or is economically or legally minable.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (and the equivalent under Canadian securities laws),that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical fact. They are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and address activities, events or developments that Solitario expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, and are based on current expectations and assumptions. The Company would like to specifically caution the reader that the Lik preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") that supports the technical feasibility or economic feasibility of the Lik zinc deposit, respectively, including the marketability of the concentrate, mining methods, cost, recoveries of metals and any other technical aspects related to the deposits, are preliminary in nature and there is no certainty that the economic estimates in the PEA will be realized. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's expectation of the projected timing and outcome of engineering studies; expectations regarding the receipt of all necessary permits and approvals to implement a mining plan, if any, at Lik or Florida Canyon; the potential for confirming, upgrading and expanding zinc, lead and silver mineralized material; future operating and capital cost estimates may indicate that the stated resources may not be economic; estimates of zinc, lead and silver grades of resources provided are predicted and actual mining grade could be substantially lower; estimates of recovery rates for could be lower than estimated for establishing the cutoff grade; and other statements that are not historical facts could vary significantly from assumptions made in the PEA; risks associated with our partner, Teck Resources Ltd., ability to finance continued development and potential construction of the Lik project could have a materially negative impact on the timing of project development, and such project development may never occur. Although Solitario management believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, risks relating to risks that Solitario's and its joint venture partners' exploration and property advancement efforts will not be successful; risks relating to fluctuations in the price of zinc, lead and silver; the inherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; uncertainties concerning reserve and resource estimates; availability of outside contractors in connection with Lik, and other activities; uncertainties relating to obtaining approvals and permits from governmental regulatory authorities; the possibility that environmental laws and regulations will change over time and become even more restrictive; and availability and timing of capital for financing the Company's exploration and development activities, including uncertainty of being able to raise capital on favorable terms or at all; as well as those factors discussed in Solitario's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC ") including Solitario's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings (and Canadian filings) including, without limitation, its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not intend to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Solitario Zinc Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/654735/Solitario-Zinc-Reports-That-Exploration-Work-Has-Commenced-on-the-Lik-Zinc-Project-Alaska

(Bloomberg) — A group backed by German car-making giants Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG has started a study into the environmental impact of lithium mining in Chile, the second-largest supplier of the key ingredient in rechargeable batteries.

GIZ, the German development agency running the initiative, is looking into how pumping up lithium-laced brine from beneath the Atacama salt flat is impacting local water supplies and communities. The project will last about two and a half years, a spokeswoman said.

It’s the latest effort by the global battery-supply chain to address growing concern among investors and the general public over the sustainability of industries that will produce the building blocks for the clean-energy transformation.

Albemarle Corp. and Soc. Quimica & Minera de Chile SA are ramping up output in the Atacama, which boasts the world’s largest reserves, in response to a projected tripling of global demand. That’s shining a light on the fragility of desert ecosystems once seen as resilient to the method of pumping up brine into massive evaporation pools.

The salt flat is in one of the driest places on Earth, where copper mines, communities and tourism also compete for water.

“There is a lack of consensus regarding the impacts and risks of lithium mining and other economic activity in the region,” the GIZ spokeswoman said.

The initial phase of the Responsible Lithium Partnership initiative is being funded by Daimler, Volkswagen, BASF SE and Fairphone BV. It will seek input from parties such as copper and lithium producers, indigenous communities and authorities. SQM welcomed the initiative, saying it was aligned with its sustainability vision. Both SQM and Albemarle are working to minimize brine and water use.

The partnership may lack teeth and looks like an attempt to boost supply-chain perceptions from a German auto industry that’s facing its own environmental, social and governance issues, said Alonso Barros, a lawyer who works with communities surrounding Chilean lithium operations.

The study is getting underway at a time of heightened scrutiny for mining companies in Chile, where a new constitution is being drafted that could lead to stricter environmental standards.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – July 8, 2021) – International Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ILC) (the "Company" or "ILC") is pleased to announce an update on its Mariana project in Argentina. As at December 31, 2020 the Company owned 11.243% of the joint venture company owning Mariana called Litio Minera Argentina ("LMA"), and this stake has since then diluted to around 10%, a number which is subject to audit. The Company currently enjoys a back in right to increase its stake in LMA by a further 10%. If exercised, this back in right would increase the Company's stake in LMA to around 20%. The remainder of the shares in LMA are owned by Mariana Lithium Co. Ltd. ("MLC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ganfeng Lithium. MLC has also since 2017 been the manager of the Mariana project. The Company currently has no representation on the board of LMA and participates on the management committee only to the extent of its percentage ownership in LMA.

The Company has now received a 300 page report (the "Report") from strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd., ("GFL") that contains an updated mineral resource estimate for the Mariana lithium brine project (the "Project") located in Salta, Argentina. This Report was not prepared for public NI 43-101 reporting standards, and therefore the Company is unable to disclose it fully. However, in the interests of investor transparency and to avoid selective disclosure, we are disclosing the following details from the Report which have already been disclosed in a news release issued by Ganfeng Lithium on 06 July 2021, and/or in a news release by the Salta Government in Argentina on 16 June, 2021.

Highlights from the Report which are already in the public domain are as follows:

1. The resource estimate contained in the Report, detailed in the table below, includes:

• 6,854,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate ("Li₂CO₃") equivalent (LCE) in the Measured and Indicated Resource categories, an increase of 55% over the 2019 estimate of 4,410,000 tonnes of Measured and Indicated Resource (Company news release, February 6, 2020)

• an additional 1,267,000 tonnes of Li₂CO₃ in the Inferred Resource category

• these amount are also now stated as 7,863,000 tonnes of lithium chloride equivalent in the Measured and Indicated Resource categories, and an additional 1,454,000 tonnes of lithium chloride equivalent in the Inferred Resource category

1. Ganfeng have reported that an Environmental Impact Report approval has been received from the Salta regional government in Argentina for the construction of a plant with a designed annualized capacity of 20,000 tonnes per annum of lithium chloride.

1. The Salta regional government has disclosed in a news release following its discussions with Ganfeng that the likely project expenditure from now to bring the Mariana Project to full production is around US$600 million.

Report – Mariana Lithium Brine Project, Argentina

Further to previous Company news releases dated March 8, 2017, April 20, 2017, and February 6, 2020, ILC has received the Report for the Mariana lithium brine project containing an update to the resource estimate for the Project. Golder Associates Consulting Ltd. ("Golder") prepared the Report based on an independent lithium brine resource estimate by Geos Mining Minerals Consultants ("Geos") based in Sydney, Australia.

 

* Brine volumes are reported using a conservative aquifer average specific yield (SY) of 15%. Due to the nature of brine deposits, it is not relevant to estimate Mineral Resources to a specific cut-off grade. However, a nominal grade cut-off value of 230 mg/L Li has been applied for reporting purposes only.
^# Based on standard conversion rates, and assumes full extraction and conversion.
LCE = Lithium Carbonate Equivalent; conversion factor 5.324 (Ministry of Energy and Mines, British Columbia, Canada).
LiCl = Lithium Chloride; conversion factor 6.1078.
NB. Figures have been rounded. Well efficiency and production efficiency are modifying factors to resources and reserves, respectively.

The Qualified Person who prepared the brine resource estimate in the Report is Llyle Sawyer, MAIG of Geos. The effective date for the estimate is 4 June 2021.

Mineral resources are not mineral reserves as defined by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the Company cannot guarantee that the resources reported here will be converted to mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

John Wisbey, Chairman and CEO of International Lithium Corp. commented as follows:

"This Report highlights what we have always known, that Mariana with now over 7.8 million tonnes Measured and Indicated resource of lithium chloride equivalent is a very large deposit indeed. The key question in future years will be how much of this is capable of being processed economically, and that in turn will depend critically on what technologies are adopted. For now, making use of solar evaporation which is Ganfeng's chosen method detailed in the Report, there is an environmental limit to how much can be extracted without affecting the water levels adversely, and this is why 20,000 tonnes p.a. is the level of environmental approval applied for. It can be hoped that membrane technology or other technologies become suitable technology at Mariana in future years, and that this number can be improved on over time.

"I mentioned in my Chairman's Report for the last financials that the board was evaluating its strategic options for the Mariana project. I can now disclose that the board believes that it would be in the best interests of its shareholders to sell its stake in the Mariana project before the Project goes to the next stage of requiring appreciable capital investment. We are conducting a process of talking with possible acquirers of our stake in Mariana, including Ganfeng the majority partner. Shareholders are cautioned that, as with any such discussions, no assurance is possible that the stake will be sold at a price that would reflect the board's view of the economic potential of the salar as a major lithium resource with valuable byproducts such as potassium. Should a suitable price not be agreed, the Company would still enjoy the benefit of a 1% Net Smelter Royalty from Ganfeng on all production from Mariana."

Qualified Person

Jon Findlay, Ph.D, P.Geo, a consultant to the Company and a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About International Lithium Corp.

International Lithium Corp. believes that the '20s will be the decade of battery metals, at a time that the world faces a significant turning point in the energy market's dependence on oil and gas and in the governmental and public view of climate change. Our key mission in the new decade is to make money for our shareholders from lithium and battery metals while at the same time helping to create a greener, cleaner planet. This includes optimizing the value of our existing projects in Canada, Argentina and Ireland as well as finding, exploring and developing projects that have the potential to become world class lithium and rare metal deposits. In addition, we have seen the clear and growing wish by the USA and Canada to safeguard their supplies of critical battery metals, and our Canadian properties are strategic in that respect.

A key goal in the new decade is to become a well funded company to turn our aspirations into reality.

International Lithium Corp. has a significant portfolio of projects, strong management, and strong partners. Partners include Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd., ("Ganfeng Lithium") a leading China-based lithium product manufacturer quoted on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock exchanges (A share code: 002460, H share code: 1772) and Essential Metals Limited, quoted on the Australian Stock exchange.

The Company's primary strategic focus is now on the Raleigh Lake lithium and rubidium project in Canada and on the Company's strategic options on the Mariana project in Argentina.

The Raleigh Lake project consists of 3,027 hectares of adjoining mineral claims in Ontario, and is regarded by ILC management as ILC's most significant project in Canada. The pegmatites explored there contain significant quantities of rubidium and caesium as well as lithium. Raleigh Lake is 100% owned by ILC, is not subject to any encumbrances, and is royalty free.

The Mariana lithium-potash brine project, which is the subject of this news release, is located within the renowned South American "Lithium Belt" that is the host to the vast majority of global lithium resources, reserves and production. The Mariana project strategically encompasses an entire mineral rich evaporite basin, totalling 160 square kilometres, that ranks as one of the more prospective salars or 'salt lakes' in the region.

Complementing the Company's lithium brine project at Mariana and rare metal pegmatite property at Raleigh Lake, are interests in two other rare metal pegmatite properties in Ontario, Canada known as the Mavis Lake and Forgan Lake projects, and the Avalonia project in Ireland, which encompasses an extensive 50-km-long pegmatite belt.

The ownership of the Mavis Lake project is now 51% Essential Metals Limited ("ESS") and 49% ILC. In addition, ILC owns a 1.5% NSR on Mavis Lake. ESS has an option to earn an additional 29% by sole-funding a further CAD $8.5 million expenditures of exploration activities, at which time the ownership will be 80% ESS and 20% ILC.

The Forgan Lake project will, upon Ultra Resources Inc. meeting its contractual requirements pursuant to its agreement with ILC, become 100% owned by Ultra Resources, and ILC will retain a 1.5% NSR on Forgan Lake.

The ownership of the Avalonia project is currently 55% Ganfeng Lithium and 45% ILC. Ganfeng Lithium has an option to earn an additional 24% by either incurring CAD $10 million expenditures on exploration activities or delivering a positive feasibility study on the project, at which time the ownership will be 79% Ganfeng Lithium and 21% ILC.

With the increasing demand for high tech rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles and electrical storage as well as portable electronics, lithium has been designated "the new oil", and is a key part of a "green tech" sustainable economy. By positioning itself with solid strategic partners and projects with significant resource potential, ILC aims to be one of the lithium and rare metals resource developers of choice for investors and to continue to build value for its shareholders in the '20s, the decade of battery metals.

On behalf of the Company,

John Wisbey
Chairman and CEO

www.internationallithium.com

For further information concerning this news release, please contact +1 604-449-6520.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release or other releases contain certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this or other news releases may include: the effect of results of the feasibility study of the Mariana Joint Venture Project, timing of publication of the technical reports, possible sale of the Company's interest in the Project, anticipated production rates, the timing and/or anticipated results of drilling on the Raleigh Lake or Mavis Lake projects, the expectation of resource estimates, preliminary economic assessments, feasibility studies, lithium or rubidium or caesium recoveries, modeling of capital and operating costs, results of studies utilizing various technologies at the company's projects, budgeted expenditures and planned exploration work on the Avalonia Joint Venture, satisfactory completion of the sale of mineral rights at Forgan Lake, increased value of shareholder investments, and continued agreement between the Company and Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. regarding the Company's percentage interest in the Mariana project and assumptions about ethical behaviour by our joint venture partners where we have them. Such forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the sections entitled "Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in the interim and annual Management's Discussion and Analysis which are available at www.sedar.com. While management believes that the assumptions made are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Forward-looking information herein, and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on expectations, estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the time of such statements, are subject to significant business, economic, legislative, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/89725

Figure 1: Location of Geological Traces

Figure 1: Location of Geological Traces

Figure 2: Exploration Diamond Core Holes – Major Drilling

Figure 2: Exploration Diamond Core Holes – Major Drilling

Figure 3: Lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price cif China, Japan & Korea, $/kg (midpoint)

Figure 3: Lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price cif China, Japan & Korea, $/kg (midpoint)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bearing Lithium Corp. (“Bearing” or the “Company”) (TSX Venture:BRZ) (OTCQB:BLILF) is pleased to provide a Maricunga lithium resource expansion and finance activities update as announced by Minera Salar Blanco (“MSB”).

HIGHLIGHTS

• The latest drilling program on the Stage One mining concessions has been completed, with five exploration core holes (S-25, S-26, S-27, S-28 and S-29) each reaching target depth of 400m.

• Positive average lithium concentrations of 989 mg/l and a maximum of 3,375 mg/l, which confirm Maricunga as one of the richest deposits in Chile.

• Significant resource expansion expected for Stage One after the new drilling program tested the 200-400m mineralised zone.

• DFS update continues by Worley, GEA Messo and Atacama Waters.

• Preliminary indications of interest received from international financial institutions and private funds for debt financing and future equity financing of the project.

• Finance process will continue in coming months, with the Mitsui agreement announced on May 15 for Off-Take and Funding of the Stage One serving as a solid base.

• Review and certification processes initiated for ESG protocols. Proposals from specialised advisors are expected during Q3 to review all project information along with carbon footprint metrics.

As announced on 27 January 2021, the Company commenced additional exploration at the Maricunga Salar as part of the updated DFS for its Stage One Project with the aim of expanding the current Measured + Indicated (M+I) resource. This currently is measured from near surface to 200m depth, but recent drilling will also include the interval between 200m and 400m.

MSB has completed additional five diamond core holes to the target depth of 400m as scheduled. As a result, the resource update for the Stage One mining concessions will be based on:

• 5,257m drilled within 41 wells.

• 3 production wells and 4 long term pumping tests (more than 60 days in total).

• 1,194 brine samples analysed by Andes Analytical Assay, the University of Antofagasta in Chile and Norlab in Argentina.

• 501 undisturbed core samples taken for drainable porosity tests which were sent to Geosystems Analysis (GSA), Daniel B. Stephens and Associates, Corelabs and the British Geological Survey.

Positive results with average lithium concentrations of 989 mg/l and maximum values of 3,375 mg/l are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Average Lithium and Potassium concentrations

Positive lithium/calcium/magnesium ratios have confirmed the world class nature of the Maricunga deposit (Table 2).

Table 2: Average lithium/calcium/magnesium ratios

Location of the different exploration and production wells, as well as of the geological traces are shown on Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Location of Geological Traces is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77afb36a-4261-41d1-81d1-77eabd4c4c5f

A new Resource (M+I) estimate is in process, including the additional information to 400m depth, using SGeMS software as a base for the new Reserve estimate update which will be part of the updated DFS for Stage One. A significant resource expansion is expected to be between the range of 1.5x to 1.8x the 2019 values¹.

_______________
¹ Maricunga Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), January 22^nd, 2019

Figure 2: Exploration Diamond Core Holes – Major Drilling is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b5670be-6c99-4769-bc91-8025b44a628c

The DFS update continues to advance as planned by Worley (Engineering) and GEA Messo (Production Process). Several opportunities for optimisation have been identified in the engineering, with potential reduction also in the CAPEX of the project.

The Company has advanced further on its production process with significant efficiency increases. As part of the finance and commercial activities, new samples of high-quality battery grade Lithium Carbonate will be produced at GEA Labs in France for review by off-takers after the Basic Engineering is completed by the end of September. Purity is expected to be significantly higher compared with the original samples produced in 2018. They showed a 99.5% purity. Such an outcome would allow the Company to reach a wider spectrum of customers with different quality requirements in the future.

Financing activities have continued, with the Mitsui agreement for off-take and funding serving as a solid base.

A recovery in lithium prices, especially for battery grade lithium carbonate, along with the off-take agreed with Mitsui have had a positive impact on the expected level of leverage the project could support. The Company is now targeting a 50 per cent leverage for the project with a lower cost debt structure.

Lithium carbonate battery grade is now trading at $US14,000 per tonne in China, Japan and Korea, as shown below in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price cif China, Japan & Korea, $/kg (midpoint) is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f122894-2987-41f4-bdb5-aa6c5077ccf0

As EV roll-out intensifies and electrification becomes a significant focus for governments, the scrutiny of lithium producers’ initiatives to minimise environmental impacts have been growing.

Sustainability has always been the centre of the Maricunga project. The company has made important efforts to become one of the first Zero Emission lithium brine producers. That includes minimising the water consumption of the production process design (self-producing more than 30 per cent of water used); using electricity only produced by solar generators through long term power purchase agreements; and having strict protocols to ensure any negative impact on the area have provided an opportunity to set a high standard in the industry. Additionally, the social aspect has been important

to the Maricunga project, having received open and ongoing support from both indigenous and civilian communities. All of these aspects have been widely recognised by the Chilean authorities.

The Company has initiated the process to review and certify its Environmental Social and Governance protocols. Proposals from specialised advisors are expected to be received during Q3 for the review of all the project information, as well as its carbon footprint metrics.

MSB’s Chief Executive Officer, Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro, commented:

“We are pleased with the positive results to date. We look forward to continuing advancement on all fronts as we progress the Maricunga Stage One project towards a successful outcome.”

About Bearing Lithium Corp.

Bearing Lithium Corp. is a lithium-focused mineral exploration and development company. Its primary asset is a 17.35% interest in the Maricunga Lithium Brine Project in Chile. The Maricunga Project represents one of the highest-grade lithium brine salars globally and the only pre-production project in Chile. Over $US 60 million has been invested in the Maricunga Project to date.

ON BEHALF OF THE BEARING LITHIUM BOARD

Signed "Gil Playford”
Gil Playford, Chairman
gplayford@bearinglithium.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information” and "forward-looking statements” (collectively "forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects”, "anticipates”, "believes”, "intends”, "estimates”, "potential”, "possible”, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will”, "may”, "could”, or "should” occur or be achieved.. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Trading Expected to Commence on July 13, 2021

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Standard Lithium Ltd. (“Standard Lithium” or the “Company”) (TSXV: SLL) (OTCQX: STLHF) (FRA: S5L), an innovative technology and lithium project development company, announces that it has received approval to list its outstanding common shares on the NYSE American, LLC (the “NYSE American”).

Trading is expected to commence on the NYSE American at the open of markets on July 13, 2021 under the ticker symbol “SLI”. Trading on the OTCQX will cease concurrent with the NYSE American listing. The common shares of the Company will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new ticker symbol “SLI” concurrent with the NYSE American listing.

Robert Mintak, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated: “We are pleased to announce and privileged to receive approval for Standard Lithium to be listed on the NYSE American. This is a significant achievement for the Company. We believe the listing will greatly enhance Standard Lithium’s profile with US capital markets, increasing exposure to a larger and more diverse group of institutional and retail investors. It is also important to highlight that we achieved this milestone without a share consolidation.”

Dr Andy Robinson, President and Chief Operating Officer said: “This is an important step-up for Standard Lithium. Our team is working hard to becoming the next lithium producer in the United States while also demonstrating that with the right approach, extraction and sustainability are not exclusive of each other. This listing on the NYSE is a crucial step in growing the Company and will help us in hitting the important project and corporate goals over the coming quarters.”

Existing shareholders of the Company are not required to take any action in connection with the change in ticker symbol or the listing on NYSE American. Shareholders trading on the existing OTCQB platform will be able to trade on the NYSE American following completion of the listing.

About Standard Lithium Ltd.

Standard Lithium is an innovative technology and lithium development company. The Company's flagship project is located in southern Arkansas, where it is engaged in the testing and proving of the commercial viability of lithium extraction from over 150,000 acres of permitted brine operations. The Company has commissioned its first-of-a-kind industrial-scale direct lithium extraction demonstration plant at Lanxess's south plant facility in southern Arkansas. The demonstration plant utilizes the company's proprietary LiSTR technology to selectively extract lithium from Lanxess's tail brine. The demonstration plant is being used for proof-of-concept and commercial feasibility studies. The scalable, environmentally friendly process eliminates the use of evaporation ponds, reduces processing time from months to hours and greatly increases the effective recovery of lithium. The company is also pursuing the resource development of over 30,000 acres of separate brine leases located in southwestern Arkansas and approximately 45,000 acres of mineral leases located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino county, California.

Standard Lithium is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol “SLL”; quoted on the OTC – Nasdaq Intl Designation under the symbol “STLHF”; and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “S5L”. Please visit the Company’s website at www.standardlithium.com.

On behalf of the Board of Standard Lithium Ltd.

Robert Mintak, CEO & Director

For further information, contact Anthony Alvaro at (604) 240 4793

Twitter @standardlithium

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-lithium/

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “schedule” and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

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MONTREAL, July 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The management of Sirios Resources Inc. (TSXV: SOI) is pleased to announce the commencement of a 2,500-metre diamond drill program on its Cheechoo gold property in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec. In addition to definition drilling, the program will test exploration targets outside of the limits of the Cheechoo gold deposit, as well as a target at depth on the extension of the deposit itself.

From south to north, the first hole will be the deepest of the entire campaign, targeting a possible lateral extension of the Cheechoo deposit to the southeast. The second hole will test the extension of a zone defined by 0.9 g/t Au over 15.7 m (including 1.2 g/t Au over 8.1 m) from hole 129 (ref: press release 04/24/2018) hosted in the meta-graywackes, outside of the limits of the currently defined gold resource that are hosted in the tonalite. A newly identified gold-bearing zone could thus be defined solely hosted in the meta-sedimentary rocks.

Several definition holes will also be drilled in the central-eastern part of the deposit. Finally, five to seven holes, located approximately 2.5 km north of the currently defined deposit, will target a gold-arsenic soil anomaly located up-ice of a till anomaly.

The diamond drilling is being carried out by Synee Drilling Inc. a company majority owned by the Tawish Development Corporation of the Wemindji Cree Nation. In addition to Synee Drilling's diamond drill rig, a second reverse circulation (RC) drill rig, operated by Boart Longyear, will arrive at the Cheechoo site in the near future to complete an additional 7,500 metre definition drilling program.

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dominique Doucet, P.Eng. President and CEO of Sirios Resources Inc. and Jordi Turcotte, P.Geo., Senior Geologist, Qualified Persons as defined by NI 43-101.

Two images accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6a1f6ab6-07f7-4fae-9722-a2917908dca9

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/19a75e8d-3890-4214-9b11-f0e1e8a677de

About the Cheechoo Property
The Cheechoo gold property, wholly-owned by Sirios, is located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec, less than 9 km from Newmont’s Eleonore gold mine. The latest resource estimate for the Cheechoo project (October 2020) estimated an inferred resource of 2.0 million ounces of gold contained in 93.0 million tonnes of rock at an average grade of 0.65 g/t Au, with significant potential to increase this resource.¹

About Sirios
A pioneer in the discovery of significant gold deposits in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec, Canada, Sirios Resources Inc. is focusing primarily on its Cheechoo gold discovery, while actively exploring for the gold potential of its other properties.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry; and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the Rules of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact :
Dominique Doucet, President, CEO, Eng.
Tel. : (514) 918-2867
ddoucet@sirios.com
website : www.sirios.com

¹ BBA, Mineral Resource Estimate Update for The Cheechoo Project, 31/10/2020

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – July 7, 2021) – Great Atlantic Resources (TSXV: GR) (FSE: PH02) has started its 2021 diamond drill program at its Golden Promise Gold property in Central Newfoundland. The 100% owned Golden Promise Property is one of the company's eight properties, which cover an area of 25,700 hectares, located within the central Newfoundland gold belt.

For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media "video" which provides additional information about this news and the company. If this link is not enabled, please visit www.InvestmentPitch.com and enter "Great Atlantic" in the search box.

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This is a resumption of Phase 2 diamond drilling at the gold bearing Jaclyn Zone, located within the northern region of the Golden Promise Property, which hosts five gold bearing quartz veins systems, being the Jaclyn Main, Jaclyn North, Jaclyn South, Jaclyn East and Jaclyn West Zones. The current Phase 2 drilling will include up to 33 drill holes, totalling approximately 5,000 metres, at the gold bearing Jaclyn Zone with holes planned at the Jaclyn Main Zone and Jaclyn North Zone.

Drilling is currently underway, with drill hole GP21-149 being an in-fill hole in the west region of the Jaclyn Main Zone. The objective of this hole and subsequent holes is to further define the zone and provide information for an updated resource estimate. Most of these holes are planned within the central to west region of the zone, testing above 200 metres vertical depth, with two holes planned in the east part of the Jaclyn Main Zone to test the zone at 200 to 350 metres vertical depth.

Great Atlantic confirmed high-grade gold at the Jaclyn Main Zone during 2019 drilling, including near surface intercepts of 113.07 grams per tonne gold over 0.55 metres and 61.35 grams per tonne gold over 2.04 metres, and 15.8 grams per tonne gold over 2.70 metres, plus an interval of multiple gold bearing veins in one drill hole averaging 2.30 grams per tonne gold over 25.25 metres. The planned drilling at the Jaclyn North Zone will further test the area east of historic drill holes including the area of an approximate 300-metre long zone of gold-bearing quartz vein boulders. Three drill holes completed by the company during 2020 in this area intersected gold bearing quartz veins and extended the Jaclyn North quartz vein system approximately 260 metres east of historic drilling.

The company collected gold bearing quartz boulder samples in this area during 2017, including samples returning 163, 208 and 332 grams per tonne and again in 2020 including samples returning 17.4, 26.7 and 157.6 grams per tonne gold. The company reported a NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimate during late 2018 for the Jaclyn Main Zone of 357,500 tonnes at 10.4 grams per tonne gold for 119,000 ounces uncapped. Because part of the vein is near surface, the resource estimate was constrained by a conceptual open pit to demonstrate reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction. Generic mining costs of US$2.50 per tonne and processing costs of US$25.00 per tonne were used together with a gold price of US$1,300 per ounce. All resources were classified as inferred because of the relatively wide spacing of drill holes through most of the zone.

The Golden Promise Property is located within a region of recent significant gold discoveries. The property is located within the Exploits Subzone of the Newfoundland Dunnage Zone. Within the Exploits Subzone, the property lies along the north-northwestern fringe of the Victoria Lake Supergroup, a volcano-sedimentary terrane. Recent significant gold discoveries within the Exploits Subzone include those of Marathon Gold Corp. at the Valentine Gold Project, Sokoman Minerals Corp. at the Moosehead Gold Project and New Found Gold Corp. at the Queensway Project. Viewers are warned that mineralization at the Valentine Gold Project, the Moosehead Gold Project, the Queensway Project, and elsewhere within the Exploits Subzone is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the company's Golden Promise Property.

Great Atlantic, with a number of properties in the Atlantic provinces, is utilizing a Project Generation model, with a special focus on critical elements which are prominent in Atlantic Canada, such as Antimony, Tungsten and Gold.

For more information, please visit the company's website www.GreatAtlanticResources.com, contact Christopher R. Anderson, President & CEO, at 604-488-3900 or email office@GreatAtlanticResources.com. For Investor Relations contact Andrew Job at 416-628-1560 or IR@GreatAtlanticResources.com.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/89649

PHILADELPHIA, July 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC), an agricultural sciences company, announced the Delhi High Court today granted the company an interim injunction against NATCO Pharma Limited ("Natco"). The interim injunction restrains Natco from manufacturing, using, distributing, advertising, exporting, offering to sell and/or selling any product which contains chlorantraniliprole, FMC's leading insect control active ingredient.

FMC filed the lawsuit against Natco at the Delhi High Court in October 2019 for potential patent infringement of certain Indian patents covering chlorantraniliprole. FMC sells chlorantraniliprole in India under the trade name Rynaxapyr^® active, which is the primary ingredient in Coragen^® and Ferterra^® insecticides.

Coragen^® and Ferterra^® insecticides are approved for controlling pests on rice, sugarcane, vegetables, maize as well as other important crops. These insecticides and their patented active ingredients are well known by farmers and recognized for their favorable safety and environmental profile, which has earned them a green label from India's regulatory body.

"FMC Corporation invests heavily in research and development to bring new innovations to farmers throughout India and around the world. We are deeply committed to ensuring farmers use genuine crop protection products from legitimate sources," said Michael Reilly, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of FMC. "We will pursue all appropriate measures as permitted under Indian laws to aggressively defend FMC's intellectual property and safeguard farmers' interests."

For more than three decades, FMC has provided India proprietary insect, disease and weed control technologies to ensure that India's farmers have access to world-class product technologies, in support of the country's aspiration to be the world's leading agricultural producer. The company employs more than 600 people in India and operates six facilities throughout the country including an Innovation Center in Hyderabad.

About FMC

FMC Corporation is a global agricultural sciences company dedicated to helping growers produce food, feed, fiber and fuel for an expanding world population while adapting to a changing environment. FMC's innovative crop protection solutions – including biologicals, crop nutrition, digital and precision agriculture – enable growers, crop advisers and turf and pest management professionals to address their toughest challenges economically without compromising safety or the environment. With approximately 6,400 employees at more than 100 sites worldwide, FMC is committed to discovering new herbicide, insecticide and fungicide active ingredients, product formulations and pioneering technologies that are consistently better for the planet. Visit fmc.com to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn^® and Twitter^®.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fmc-corporation-granted-interim-injunction-against-agricultural-chemicals-manufacturer-natco-for-patent-infringement-301326819.html

SOURCE FMC Corporation

Figure 1.

Location of reported channel samples

Figure 2.

Plan map of reported results

TORONTO, July 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V: BMK, OTC: MCDMF) (“MacDonald Mines” or the “Company”) announces results from 3 further channel samples taken at the Glade West Showing as part of its ongoing mechanized stripping and channel sampling program at its 100% owned SPJ Project, 30 km east of Sudbury, Ontario. Highlights include channel AGT-21-004B returning 8.91 g/t gold over 1.60 m, including 17.50 g/t gold over 0.80 m.

The channel sampling at Glade continues to show high-grade gold in a set of shears with quartz veins and gold mineralization comparable to the discovery holes (see May 13, 2021, and June 8, 2021 news releases). The collar of hole AG-21-096 is located approximately 40 m W-NW from the new channel samples. The gold mineralization observed at Glade is also similar to that intersected at the Scadding Mine, 800 m north of Glade. Further assay results from channel sampling are pending, and a diamond drilling program is planned to follow.

Mia Boiridy, President and CEO, comments, “Our surface exploration program continues to uncover new mineralized structures and extends the known footprint of gold mineralization in the Glade area. As we observed in our discovery holes and at the Scadding Mine, our results suggest that gold mineralization at Glade West occurs in networks of mineralized shear zones and quartz tension veins associated with iron-rich chlorite. The similarities between the mineralization observed at Glade West, Glade East, 225 m away and the Scadding Deposit, 800 m north, could indicate a large system at play in this area. Our systematic sampling of the 9 trenches uncovered is mapping the geometry of the near-surface gold system and guiding our upcoming drilling program.”

Table 1. Reported channel sampling assay results

*Assay results are presented over the apparent length of the channel samples. Additional work is necessary to define the true width of the zone of mineralization.

Channel sampling detail
Gold mineralization at Glade West is associated with shear zones of different orientations that host networks of gold mineralized, multidirectional and variably spaced quartz tension veins with variable Fe-chlorite.

Channels AGT-21-004A and AGT-21-004B tested the gold content of an anastomosing network of shear zones, one with an ENE orientation and a prevailing NNE orientated shear. Each shear zone contains networks of deformed quartz veins that are variably mineralized in gold.

Channel AGT-21-003A tested a network of quartz veins deformed and transposed into an ENE-oriented shear zone.

Mineralization and deformation are concentrated in the Nipissing intrusion at its northern contact with the Bruce conglomerate along its southern contact with the Espanola limestone. Visible gold was observed in many quartz veins in both holes AG-21-096 and AG-21-097 and in the channel samples taken at Glade East. Surface work at the Glade East showing confirmed similar mineralization 225 m east of the Glade West discovery.

In some quartz veins, visible gold is associated with iron-rich chlorite alteration emplaced and crosscutting the quartz veins. This association between gold and iron-rich chlorite observed at the Glade West Showing is similar to the association between iron-chlorite and gold at the Scadding Deposit.

Figure 1. Location of reported channel samples

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/733152ae-2d09-433e-bd55-c65668b8175c

Figure 2. Plan map of reported results

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5dc1a10-53da-4184-bb45-3aea70a7ff42

Table 2. Coordinates of reported channel samples

Alkin-Glade
The Alkin-Glade trend is located at the contact between a Nipissing intrusion and sedimentary rocks. The structure hosts two significant zones of mineralization – the historic Alkin Mine and the Glade showings. In the Glade area, Ontario Geological Survey maps and historical exploration identified a broad zone of disruption, alteration, deformation and mineralization that extend over a strike length of 300 m. High-grade gold in quartz veins were reported historically.

The historical Alkin gold mine is located 2.3 km W-NW of the Glade showings. At the Alkin Mine, gold mineralization occurs as a network of quartz veins hosted in the felsic phase of the Nipissing Diabase intrusion that also hosts the Glade showings. Reconnaissance work by the Ontario Geological Survey reported gold assays up to 38.8 g/t gold in grab samples taken from the veins exposed at the Alkin Mine (OFR 5771). The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent the actual grade of the targeted mineralization. In addition, the reader is cautioned that the qualified person has not validated the accuracy of the historical results.

Qualified Person
Jean-François Montreuil, P.Geo., Chief Geologist of MacDonald Mines, is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for preparing, supervising, and approving this news release's scientific and technical content.

On-site Quality Assurance/Quality Control (“QA/QC”) Measures
Channel samples were transported in security sealed bags for analyses to Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario. Individual samples are labelled, placed in plastic sample bags and sealed. Groups of samples are then placed into durable rice bags and then shipped. The samples transported to Actlabs were dropped in rice bags with security seals by Manitoulin Transport. The remaining coarse reject portions of the samples remain in storage if further work or verification is needed.

MacDonald has implemented a quality-control program to comply with best practices in sampling and analyzing channel samples. As part of its QA/QC program, MacDonald inserts external gold standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in addition to random standards, blanks, and duplicates. All samples over 10 g/t gold or with visible gold are analyzed using a 1 kg metallic screen.

Upcoming Webinar
MacDonald Mines is providing an opportunity for shareholders and other interested parties to participate in a webinar on Monday, July 12, 2021, at 4:00 pm EDT. To register, click on the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YyI9vEAfTL2W1JC7rAUOLQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

COVID-19 Precautions
MacDonald Mines has developed and implemented precautions and procedures that are compliant with Ontario’s health guidelines. Strict protocols are in place to ensure the safety of all staff, thereby reducing the potential for community contact and spreading of the virus.

About MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd.
MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario that trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BMK".

The Company is focused on developing its 100%-owned SPJ Project in Northern Ontario. Following up on its successful 2019/20 exploration and drilling campaigns, MacDonald Mines is focused on what it theorizes to be a large gold system at work on the 18,930 ha property with high-grade gold surrounding the past-producing Scadding Gold Mine and gold/polymetallic mineralization over several kilometres around it.

To learn more about MacDonald Mines, please visit www.macdonaldmines.com

For more information, please contact:

Mia Boiridy, President & CEO, (250) 575-3305, mboiridy@macdonaldmines.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “should”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “predicts”, “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Is Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) a good place to invest some of your money right now? We can gain invaluable insight to help us answer that question by studying the investment trends of top investors, who employ world-class Ivy League graduates, who are given immense resources and industry contacts to put their financial expertise to work. The top picks of these firms have historically outperformed the market when we account for known risk factors, making them very valuable investment ideas.

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) was in 31 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the first quarter of 2021. The all time high for this statistic is 40. ALB investors should pay attention to an increase in hedge fund sentiment recently. There were 21 hedge funds in our database with ALB positions at the end of the fourth quarter. Our calculations also showed that ALB isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q1 rankings).

So, why do we pay attention to hedge fund sentiment before making any investment decisions? Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the S&P 500 ETFs by more than 115 percentage points since March 2017 (see the details here). We have been able to outperform the passive index funds by tracking the moves of corporate insiders and hedge funds, and we believe small investors can benefit a lot from reading hedge fund investor letters and 13F filings.

Matthew Hulsizer of PEAK6 Capital Management

At Insider Monkey, we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. For example, lithium mining is one of the fastest growing industries right now, so we are checking out stock pitches like this emerging lithium stock. We go through lists like the 10 best EV stocks to pick the next Tesla that will deliver a 10x return. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. You can subscribe to our free daily newsletter on our homepage. Keeping this in mind we're going to check out the key hedge fund action surrounding Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB).

Do Hedge Funds Think ALB Is A Good Stock To Buy Now?

At first quarter's end, a total of 31 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of 48% from the fourth quarter of 2020. On the other hand, there were a total of 24 hedge funds with a bullish position in ALB a year ago. So, let's examine which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

More specifically, Renaissance Technologies was the largest shareholder of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB), with a stake worth $77.4 million reported as of the end of March. Trailing Renaissance Technologies was Millennium Management, which amassed a stake valued at $48.3 million. Citadel Investment Group, Adage Capital Management, and PEAK6 Capital Management were also very fond of the stock, becoming one of the largest hedge fund holders of the company. In terms of the portfolio weights assigned to each position Axel Capital Management allocated the biggest weight to Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB), around 6.75% of its 13F portfolio. Value Star Asset Management is also relatively very bullish on the stock, earmarking 3.4 percent of its 13F equity portfolio to ALB.

As aggregate interest increased, key money managers have jumped into Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) headfirst. Renaissance Technologies, assembled the largest position in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB). Renaissance Technologies had $77.4 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Ray Dalio's Bridgewater Associates also initiated a $15.6 million position during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are Andrew Casino's Baymount Management, Ken Griffin's Citadel Investment Group, and Peter Muller's PDT Partners.

Let's go over hedge fund activity in other stocks – not necessarily in the same industry as Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) but similarly valued. These stocks are Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL), Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE:RJF), Ally Financial Inc (NYSE:ALLY), Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ:VTRS), Tradeweb Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:TW), Qualtrics International Inc. (NASDAQ:XM), and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:J). This group of stocks' market caps are closest to ALB's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position ROL,30,643375,2 RJF,33,749300,-1 ALLY,51,2804131,-6 VTRS,58,1825444,-9 TW,26,311809,-5 XM,37,1247053,37 J,24,995619,-6 Average,37,1225247,1.7 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 37 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1225 million. That figure was $263 million in ALB's case. Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ:VTRS) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:J) is the least popular one with only 24 bullish hedge fund positions. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. Our overall hedge fund sentiment score for ALB is 43.5. Stocks with higher number of hedge fund positions relative to other stocks as well as relative to their historical range receive a higher sentiment score. Our calculations showed that top 5 most popular stocks among hedge funds returned 95.8% in 2019 and 2020, and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by 40 percentage points. These stocks gained 22.8% in 2021 through July 2nd and beat the market by 6 percentage points. A small number of hedge funds were also right about betting on ALB, though not to the same extent, as the stock returned 17.1% since the end of Q1 (through July 2nd) and outperformed the market.

Get real-time email alerts: Follow Albemarle Corp (NYSE:ALB)

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 6, 2021 / Great Atlantic Resource Corp. (TSXV:GR)(FRA:PH01) (the "Company" or "Great Atlantic") is pleased to announce it commenced diamond drilling at its Golden Promise Gold Property, located in the central Newfoundland gold belt.

This is a resumption of Phase 2 diamond drilling at the gold bearing Jaclyn Zone, specifically at the Jaclyn Main Zone and Jaclyn North Zone. The first drill hole of the 2021 program in being drilled at the Jaclyn Main Zone.

The current Phase 2 drilling will include up to 33 drill holes at the gold bearing Jaclyn Zone with holes planned at the Jaclyn Main Zone (JMZ) and Jaclyn North Zone (JNZ) with total planned drilling of approximately 5,000 meters. Drilling is currently underway on dill hole GP21-149, an in-fill hole in the west region of the JMZ. The objective of this hole and subsequent planned drill holes at the JMZ is to further define the zone and provide information for an updated resource estimate of the JMZ. The Company is continuing the drill hole numbering system from previous drilling programs. Most of the planned holes at the JMZ are within the central to west region of the zone, testing above 200 meters vertical depth. Two holes are planned in the east part of the JMZ to test the zone at 200-350 meters vertical depth.

Great Atlantic reported a National Instrument 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimate during late 2018 for the JMZ of 357,500 tonnes at 10.4 g/t gold (119,900 ounces of gold – uncapped).

The Company confirmed high-grade gold at the JMZ during 2019 drilling, including near surface intercepts (core length) of 113.07 grams / tonne (g/t) gold over 0.55 meters, 61.35 g/t gold over 2.04 meters and 15.8 g/t gold over 2.70 meters plus an interval of multiple gold bearing veins in one drill hole averaging 2.30 g/t gold over 25.25 meters.

The Phase 2 drilling at the JNZ will further test the area east of historic drill holes including the area of an approximately 300 meters long zone of gold-bearing quartz vein boulders. Three drill holes completed by the Company during late 2020 Phase 2 drilling intersected gold bearing quartz veins and extended the JNZ quartz vein system approximately 260 meters east of historic drilling. The Company collected gold bearing quartz boulder samples in this area during 2017 (including samples returning 163, 208 and 332 grams / tonne (g/t) gold) and 2020 (including samples returning 17.4, 26.7 and 157.6 g/t gold).

The Golden Promise Property is located within a region of recent significant gold discoveries. The property is located within the Exploits Subzone of the Newfoundland Dunnage Zone. Within the Exploits Subzone, the property lies along the north-northwestern fringe of the Victoria Lake Supergroup (VLSG), a volcano-sedimentary terrane. The northwestern margin of the Golden Promise Property occurs proximal to, and, in part, contiguous with a major (Appalachian-scale) collisional boundary, and suture zone, known as the RIL. The RIL forms the western boundary of the Exploits Subzone. Recent significant gold discoveries within the Exploits Subzone include those of Marathon Gold Corp. (TSX.MOZ) at the Valentine Gold Project, Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV.SIC) at the Moosehead Gold Project and New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV.NFG) at the Queensway Project. Readers are warned that mineralization at the Valentine Gold Project, Moosehead Gold Project, and Queensway Project is not necessarily indicative of mineralization the Golden Promise Property.

David Martin, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and VP Exploration for Great Atlantic, is responsible for the technical information contained in this News Release.

On Behalf of the board of directors

"Christopher R Anderson"

Mr. Christopher R. Anderson "Always be positive, strive for solutions, and never give up"
President CEO Director

Investor Relations:

Andrew Job
1-416-628-1560
IR@GreatAtlanticResources.com
Office Line 604-488-3900

About Great Atlantic Resources Corp.: Great Atlantic Resources Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on the discovery and development of mineral assets in the resource-rich and sovereign risk-free realm of Atlantic Canada, one of the number one mining regions of the world. Great Atlantic is currently surging forward building the company utilizing a Project Generation model, with a special focus on the most critical elements on the planet that are prominent in Atlantic Canada, Antimony, Tungsten and Gold.

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Great Atlantic Resource Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/654317/Great-Atlantic-Resources-Commences-Diamond-Drill-Program–Golden-Promise–Central-Newfoundland

Insider Monkey has processed numerous 13F filings of hedge funds and successful value investors to create an extensive database of hedge fund holdings. The 13F filings show the hedge funds' and successful investors' positions as of the end of the fourth quarter. You can find articles about an individual hedge fund's trades on numerous financial news websites. However, in this article we will take a look at their collective moves over the last 6 years and analyze what the smart money thinks of FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) based on that data.

Is FMC a good stock to buy? FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) investors should pay attention to a decrease in hedge fund sentiment recently. FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) was in 32 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the first quarter of 2021. The all time high for this statistic is 46. There were 45 hedge funds in our database with FMC positions at the end of the fourth quarter. Our calculations also showed that FMC isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q1 rankings).

If you'd ask most traders, hedge funds are viewed as worthless, outdated investment tools of years past. While there are greater than 8000 funds in operation at present, Our experts look at the aristocrats of this club, approximately 850 funds. These money managers have their hands on the majority of the hedge fund industry's total capital, and by monitoring their matchless investments, Insider Monkey has discovered many investment strategies that have historically outrun the market. Insider Monkey's flagship short hedge fund strategy outrun the S&P 500 short ETFs by around 20 percentage points annually since its inception in March 2017. Also, our monthly newsletter's portfolio of long stock picks returned 206.8% since March 2017 (through May 2021) and beat the S&P 500 Index by more than 115 percentage points. You can download a sample issue of this newsletter on our website .

Larry Robbins of Glenview Capital

At Insider Monkey, we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. For example, lithium mining is one of the fastest growing industries right now, so we are checking out stock pitches like this emerging lithium stock. We go through lists like the 10 best EV stocks to pick the next Tesla that will deliver a 10x return. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. You can subscribe to our free daily newsletter on our homepage. With all of this in mind we're going to view the latest hedge fund action regarding FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC).

Do Hedge Funds Think FMC Is A Good Stock To Buy Now?

At first quarter's end, a total of 32 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -29% from the previous quarter. By comparison, 39 hedge funds held shares or bullish call options in FMC a year ago. With the smart money's positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an "upper tier" of notable hedge fund managers who were adding to their holdings significantly (or already accumulated large positions).

When looking at the institutional investors followed by Insider Monkey, D E Shaw, managed by D. E. Shaw, holds the number one position in FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC). D E Shaw has a $116.8 million position in the stock, comprising 0.1% of its 13F portfolio. Coming in second is Cardinal Capital, led by Amy Minella, holding a $108.2 million position; the fund has 2.6% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other peers that hold long positions contain Larry Robbins's Glenview Capital, Ross Turner's Pelham Capital and Charles Paquelet's Skylands Capital. In terms of the portfolio weights assigned to each position Pelham Capital allocated the biggest weight to FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC), around 5.14% of its 13F portfolio. Lodge Hill Capital is also relatively very bullish on the stock, earmarking 4.79 percent of its 13F equity portfolio to FMC.

Because FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) has experienced a decline in interest from the smart money, we can see that there exists a select few fund managers that slashed their full holdings in the first quarter. At the top of the heap, Alexander Mitchell's Scopus Asset Management said goodbye to the largest position of all the hedgies monitored by Insider Monkey, comprising an estimated $21.9 million in stock. Zilvinas Mecelis's fund, Covalis Capital, also sold off its stock, about $21.8 million worth. These bearish behaviors are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest dropped by 13 funds in the first quarter.

Let's go over hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC). These stocks are Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ), Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE:FICO), Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH), argenx SE (NASDAQ:ARGX), Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM), DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. (NASDAQ:XRAY), and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM). This group of stocks' market caps are similar to FMC's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position DPZ,29,2176091,-8 FICO,27,1355293,-11 EQH,44,1699164,-2 ARGX,27,1375874,5 AEM,28,247180,-8 XRAY,26,1218918,-2 SQM,16,142465,2 Average,28.1,1173569,-3.4 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 28.1 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1174 million. That figure was $500 million in FMC's case. Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) is the least popular one with only 16 bullish hedge fund positions. FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. Our overall hedge fund sentiment score for FMC is 41.4. Stocks with higher number of hedge fund positions relative to other stocks as well as relative to their historical range receive a higher sentiment score. This is a slightly positive signal but we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed that top 5 most popular stocks among hedge funds returned 95.8% in 2019 and 2020, and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by 40 percentage points. These stocks gained 22.8% in 2021 through July 2nd and beat the market again by 6 percentage points. Unfortunately FMC wasn't nearly as popular as these 5 stocks and hedge funds that were betting on FMC were disappointed as the stock returned -1.5% since the end of March (through 7/2) and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out the top 5 most popular stocks among hedge funds as many of these stocks already outperformed the market since 2019.

Get real-time email alerts: Follow Fmc Corp (NYSE:FMC)

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BRISBANE, Australia, July 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX: GXY) (Galaxy) and Orocobre Limited (ASX:ORE, TSX:ORL) (Orocobre) are pleased to provide an update on the proposed merger pursuant to which Orocobre will acquire all of the shares in Galaxy (Galaxy Shares) by way of a scheme of arrangement (Scheme).

Court approval

The Supreme Court of Western Australia (Court) has today made orders:

• that Galaxy convene a meeting of shareholders (Galaxy Shareholders) to consider and vote on the Scheme (Scheme Meeting); and

• approving the dispatch of an explanatory statement providing information about the Scheme, together with the Notice of Scheme Meeting (Scheme Booklet) to Galaxy Shareholders.

Scheme Booklet

The Scheme Booklet will be released to ASX and sent to Galaxy Shareholders following registration with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It will also be available on Galaxy's website at www.gxy.com.

The Scheme Booklet will be dispatched to Galaxy Shareholders by Wednesday, 7 July 2021. Galaxy Shareholders who have elected to receive electronic communications from Galaxy will receive an email containing instructions about how to view or download a copy of the Scheme Booklet, as well as instructions on how to lodge their proxies and opt-in notices. Galaxy Shareholders who have not elected to receive communications electronically will receive a letter (sent by post), together with their personalised proxy form and opt-in notice, containing instructions about how to view or download a copy of the Scheme Booklet (or request a hard copy of it).

Galaxy Shareholders should carefully read the Scheme Booklet in its entirety, including the materials accompanying it, before deciding whether to vote in favour of the Scheme. If after reading the Scheme Booklet you have any questions about the Scheme or the Scheme Booklet, please contact the Galaxy Shareholder Information Line on 1300 034 153 (within Australia) or +61 3 9415 4875 (outside Australia) between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm (AEST), Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

Directors' recommendation and Independent Expert's Report

The Scheme Booklet will include a copy of the independent expert's report prepared by Deloitte Corporate Finance Pty Ltd (Independent Expert), which concludes that the Scheme is fair and reasonable, and in the best interests of Galaxy Shareholders, in the absence of a superior proposal for Galaxy.

The Scheme continues to be unanimously recommended by each director of Galaxy (Galaxy Director), subject to no superior proposal emerging for Galaxy and the Independent Expert continuing to conclude that the Scheme is in the best interests of Galaxy Shareholders. Each Galaxy Director intends to vote, or procure the voting of, all Galaxy Shares held or controlled by them in favour of the Scheme, subject to those same qualifications.

Scheme Meeting

The Scheme Meeting, at which Galaxy Shareholders will vote on the proposed Scheme, will be held at 10.00 am (AWST) on Friday, 6 August 2021, at the Karingal Room, the Melbourne Hotel, 33 Milligan Street, Perth WA 6000.

Galaxy Shareholders can also attend the Scheme Meeting online via a live webcast. Details of how to access the live webcast and participate in the Scheme Meeting online will be contained in the notice of meeting included in the Scheme Booklet, and the Lumi Online Meeting Guide which is included in the notice of meeting and is also available at www.edocumentview.com.au/GXYlumiguide.

All registered Galaxy Shareholders as at 5.00 pm (AWST) on Wednesday, 4 August 2021 will be eligible to vote at the Scheme Meeting.

Scheme Timetable

The key dates expected for the Scheme are set out below.

Note: All times and dates in the above timetable are references to the time and date in Perth, Western Australia (AWST). All dates following the date of the Scheme Meeting are indicative only and, among other things, are subject to all necessary approvals from the Supreme Court of Western Australia and each other condition precedent to the Scheme being satisfied or waived. Galaxy reserves the right to vary the times and dates set out above. Any changes to the above timetable will be announced on ASX and notified on Galaxy's website at www.gxy.com. Galaxy will continue to update Galaxy Shareholders as to any material developments in relation to the Scheme as the timetable progresses.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

This announcement is a joint announcement by Galaxy Resources Limited ACN 071 976 442 (Galaxy) and Orocobre Limited ACN 112 589 910 (Orocobre).

This announcement has been prepared in relation to the proposed merger between Galaxy and Orocobre by way of scheme of arrangement under Part 5.1 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Scheme). Under the Scheme, Orocobre will acquire 100% of the fully paid ordinary shares in Galaxy in exchange for the issue of new fully paid ordinary shares in Orocobre. The Scheme is subject to the terms and conditions described in the merger implementation deed entered into between Galaxy and Orocobre as announced on 19 April 2021 (Merger Implementation Deed). A copy of the Merger Implementation Deed is available on the ASX website (at www.asx.com.au).

Galaxy and Orocobre have jointly prepared this announcement based on information available to them as at the date of this announcement. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information, opinions and conclusions contained in this announcement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, none of Galaxy or Orocobre, their respective directors, employees, agents or advisers, or any other person, accepts any liability, including, without limitation, any liability arising from fault or negligence on the part of any of them or any other person, for any loss arising from the use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection with it.

Forward Looking Statements

This announcement may contain forward looking statements concerning Galaxy, Orocobre and the merged group which are made as at the date of this announcement (unless otherwise indicated). Forward looking statements are not statements of historical fact and actual events and results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward looking statements as a result of a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Galaxy, Orocobre and the merged group. Such factors may include, among other things, risks relating to funding requirements, lithium and other commodity prices, exploration, development and operating risks (including unexpected capital or operating cost increases), production risks, competition and market risks, regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulations and associated liability, changes in regulatory restrictions or regulatory policy and potential title disputes) and risks associated with general economic conditions. Any forward-looking statements, as well as any other opinions and estimates, provided in this announcement are based on assumptions and contingencies which are subject to change without notice and may prove ultimately to be materially incorrect, as are statements about market and industry trends, which are based on interpretations of current market conditions.

Except as required by law or the ASX listing rules, Galaxy and Orocobre assume no obligation to provide any additional or updated information or to update any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Nothing in this announcement will, under any circumstances (including by reason of this announcement remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other presentation or publication with respect to Galaxy, Orocobre or the merged group, or the subject matter of this announcement), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of Galaxy or Orocobre since the date of this announcement.

Not for release or distribution in the United States

This announcement has been prepared for publication in Australia and may not be released to U.S. wire services or distributed in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction, and neither this announcement or anything attached to this announcement shall form the basis of any contract or commitment. Any securities described in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in transactions registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or exempt from, or not subject to, the registration of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

TSX matters

Orocobre is an “Eligible Interlisted Issuer” for purposes of the TSX and intends to rely on the exemptions set forth in Section 602.1 of the TSX Company Manual in respect of the Scheme. The issuance of shares by Orocobre pursuant to the Scheme is subject to acceptance by the TSX.

BRISBANE, Australia, July 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Galaxy Resources Limited (ASX: GXY) (Galaxy) and Orocobre Limited (ASX:ORE, TSX:ORL) (Orocobre) refer to the announcement made on 2 July 2021 in relation to:

• its proposed merger with Orocobre pursuant to which Orocobre will acquire all of the shares in Galaxy (Galaxy Shares) by way of a scheme of arrangement (Scheme); and

• the orders made by the Supreme Court of Western Australia convening a meeting of shareholders of Galaxy (Galaxy Shareholders) to consider and vote on the Scheme (Scheme Meeting) and approving the dispatch of an explanatory statement providing information about the Scheme, together with the Notice of Scheme Meeting (Scheme Booklet) to Galaxy Shareholders.

Scheme Booklet

Galaxy is pleased to confirm that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has today registered the Scheme Booklet. A copy of the Scheme Booklet is attached to this announcement and will also be made available on Galaxy's website at www.gxy.com.

The Scheme Booklet will be dispatched to Galaxy Shareholders by Wednesday, 7 July 2021 in the manner described in Galaxy's announcement made on 2 July 2021.

Galaxy Shareholders should carefully read the Scheme Booklet in its entirety, including the material accompanying it, before deciding whether to vote in favour of the Scheme. If after reading the Scheme Booklet you have any further questions about the Scheme or the Scheme Booklet, please contact the Galaxy Shareholder Information Line on 1300 034 153 (within Australia) or +61 3 9415 4875 (outside Australia), between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm (AEST), Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

Directors' Recommendation and Independent Expert's Report

The Scheme Booklet includes a copy of the independent expert’s report prepared by Deloitte Corporate Finance Pty Limited (Independent Expert), which concludes that the Scheme is fair and reasonable, and in the best interests of Galaxy Shareholders, in the absence of a superior proposal for Galaxy.

The Scheme continues to be unanimously recommended by each director of Galaxy (Galaxy Director), subject to no superior proposal emerging for Galaxy and the Independent Expert continuing to conclude that the Scheme is in the best interests of Galaxy Shareholders. Each Galaxy Director intends to vote, or procure the voting of, all Galaxy Shares held or controlled by them in favour of the Scheme, subject to those same qualifications.

Scheme Meeting

The Scheme Meeting, at which Galaxy Shareholders will vote on the proposed Scheme, will be held at 10.00 am (AWST) on Friday, 6 August 2021, at the Karingal Room, the Melbourne Hotel, 33 Milligan Street, Perth WA 6000.

Galaxy Shareholders can also attend the Scheme Meeting online via a live webcast. Details of how to access the live webcast and participate in the Scheme Meeting online are contained in the notice of meeting included in the Scheme Booklet, and the Lumi Online Meeting Guide which is included in the notice of meeting and is also available at www.edocumentview.com.au/GXYlumiguide.

All Galaxy Shareholders registered as at 5.00 pm (AWST) on Wednesday, 4 August 2021 will be eligible to vote at the Scheme Meeting.

This release was authorised by Mr Simon Hay, Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Resources Limited and Mr Rick Anthon, Joint Company Secretary of Orocobre Limited.

For more information

IMPORTANT NOTICES

This announcement is a joint announcement by Galaxy Resources Limited ACN 071 976 442 (Galaxy) and Orocobre Limited ACN 112 589 910 (Orocobre).

This announcement has been prepared in relation to the proposed merger between Galaxy and Orocobre by way of scheme of arrangement under Part 5.1 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Scheme). Under the Scheme, Orocobre will acquire 100% of the fully paid ordinary shares in Galaxy in exchange for the issue of new fully paid ordinary shares in Orocobre. The Scheme is subject to the terms and conditions described in the merger implementation deed entered into between Galaxy and Orocobre as announced on 19 April 2021 (Merger Implementation Deed). A copy of the Merger Implementation Deed is available on the ASX website (at www.asx.com.au).

Galaxy and Orocobre have jointly prepared this announcement based on information available to them as at the date of this announcement. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information, opinions and conclusions contained in this announcement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, none of Galaxy or Orocobre, their respective directors, employees, agents or advisers, or any other person, accepts any liability, including, without limitation, any liability arising from fault or negligence on the part of any of them or any other person, for any loss arising from the use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection with it.

Forward Looking Statements

This announcement may contain forward looking statements concerning Galaxy, Orocobre and the merged group which are made as at the date of this announcement (unless otherwise indicated). Forward looking statements are not statements of historical fact and actual events and results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward looking statements as a result of a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Galaxy, Orocobre and the merged group. Such factors may include, among other things, risks relating to funding requirements, lithium and other commodity prices, exploration, development and operating risks (including unexpected capital or operating cost increases), production risks, competition and market risks, regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulations and associated liability, changes in regulatory restrictions or regulatory policy and potential title disputes) and risks associated with general economic conditions. Any forward-looking statements, as well as any other opinions and estimates, provided in this announcement are based on assumptions and contingencies which are subject to change without notice and may prove ultimately to be materially incorrect, as are statements about market and industry trends, which are based on interpretations of current market conditions.

Except as required by law or the ASX listing rules, Galaxy and Orocobre assume no obligation to provide any additional or updated information or to update any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Nothing in this announcement will, under any circumstances (including by reason of this announcement remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other presentation or publication with respect to Galaxy, Orocobre or the merged group, or the subject matter of this announcement), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of Galaxy or Orocobre since the date of this announcement.

Not for release or distribution in the United States

This announcement has been prepared for publication in Australia and may not be released to U.S. wire services or distributed in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction, and neither this announcement or anything attached to this announcement shall form the basis of any contract or commitment. Any securities described in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in transactions registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or exempt from, or not subject to, the registration of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

TSX matters

Orocobre is an “Eligible Interlisted Issuer” for purposes of the TSX and intends to rely on the exemptions set forth in Section 602.1 of the TSX Company Manual in respect of the Scheme. The issuance of shares by Orocobre pursuant to the Scheme is subject to acceptance by the TSX.

(Bloomberg) — A doctor said Anglo American Plc was aware of the danger lead poisoning posed to employees and commissioned a study into its impact in a community close to a Zambian mine where he worked.

The claim bolsters a lawsuit in which a group of Zambian women and children allege Anglo caused widespread lead poisoning from the Broken Hill mine it had a stake in until 1974 in the northern city of Kabwe. They are demanding compensation and a clean-up of the area.

Anglo said while it had an interest in the mine it wasn’t the owner or operator, without giving more precise detail. “Conflating Zambia Broken Hill Development Company with Anglo American is simply incorrect,” it said.

“The mine management were certainly aware of the risk of lead poisoning to its employees, the blood levels of all staff were checked regularly,” Ian Lawrence, who worked as a medical officer at the mine in 1969 and 1970, said in a supplementary affidavit that’s been added to the case. “I became deeply concerned at the number of deaths amongst children under the age of five in the residential township where local employees lived.”

Lawrence’s affidavit was submitted in April, six months after the case was brought to South Africa’s High Court. He said the delay was because it was not feasible to visit a notary public in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

READ: Anglo American Sued for Lead Poisoning in Zambia Mining Town

“The invariably high levels convinced me that the problem was very serious,” he said. Lawrence said contaminated dust from the mine blew into the township where, in addition to being breathed in, it settled on gravel where children played, and contaminated foodstuffs and cooking utensils. Lawrence, who now lives in England, said he didn’t understand why an investigation hadn’t been carried out and oversaw the taking of about 500 blood samples to test for lead contamination.

Within the month of him submitting his findings to management, a Professor Lane and Dr. King from Manchester University arrived to investigate the problem, he said. He never saw their report.

“We believe it is widely accepted that any responsibility in relation to the Kabwe mine site belongs elsewhere – being with the actual owners and operators of the site and those who operated the site post nationalization 50 years ago,” Anglo said in a response to queries.

Law firms Leigh Day and Mbuyisa Moleele, who are representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement that Anglo claims not to have any documents “of relevance pertaining to the operation of the Kabwe Mine,” including the Lane/King report. The firms said evidence they have from the Zambian state mining archives shows the documents would have been copied to Anglo’s then head offices in Johannesburg.

Anglo said the documents were handed over to the state mining company when it was nationalized.

100,000 People

A hearing to consider Anglo’s request for an extension so that it can file its response is being heard in the Gauteng division of the High Court on Monday and Tuesday. Anglo said it has been denied access to crucial documents.

The case was filed by 13 plaintiffs on behalf of an estimated 100,000 people.

The group lawsuit is the latest over Anglo American’s decades of mining in southern Africa. In 2018, it and five other companies paid about $390 million to settle a class action by former gold miners suffering from the respiratory disease silicosis.

Anglo held an interest in the Kabwe mine, at one stage the world’s biggest lead operation, from 1925 to 1974, when it was nationalized by the government. While the operation about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Zambian capital, Lusaka, was eventually shut in 1994, output during Anglo’s ownership accounted for about two-thirds of the lead that now contaminates the area, the law firms said.

Anglo said the state company’s own records show that the worst period of lead pollution was likely post 1989.

Lead poisoning can cause health problems ranging from learning difficulties to infertility, brain damage and, in some cases, death. In a 2019 report, Human Rights Watch said that a third of the population of Kabwe, or more than 76,000 people, live in lead-contaminated areas.

The lawsuit was filed in South Africa because at the time of the mine’s operation Anglo was headquartered in Johannesburg. The company is now based in London.

(Adds Anglo American comment in eighth and 15th paragraphs)

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Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – July 5, 2021) – Great Atlantic Resources (TSXV: GR) (FSE: PH02) has signed a contract for its 2021 diamond drill program at its Golden Promise Gold property in Central Newfoundland. The 100% owned Golden Promise Property is one of the company's eight properties, which cover an area of 25,700 hectares, located within the central Newfoundland gold belt. The company has engaged Rally Drilling Services for the phase 2 diamond drill program.

For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media "video" which provides additional information about this news and the company. If this link is not enabled, please visit www.InvestmentPitch.com and enter "Great Atlantic" in the search box.

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The company plans to begin the 33 drill holes at the Jaclyn Zone to be followed by up to 12 drill holes at the Otter Brook showing.

The Jaclyn Zone, located within the northern region of the Golden Promise Property, hosts five gold bearing quartz veins systems, being the Jaclyn Main, Jaclyn North, Jaclyn South, Jaclyn East and Jaclyn West Zones. The drilling at the Jaclyn Zone includes 15 drill holes at the Jaclyn Main Zone and 18 drill holes at the Jaclyn North Zone, totalling approximately 5,000 metres.

This includes in-fill drill holes within different part of the Jaclyn Main Zone, the objective to provide further definition of the zone and provide information for an updated resource calculation. Most of these holes are planned within the central to west region of the zone, testing above 200 metres vertical depth. Two holes are planned in the east part of the Jaclyn Main Zone to test the zone at 200 to 350 metres vertical depth.

Great Atlantic confirmed high-grade gold at the Jaclyn Main Zone during 2019 drilling, including near surface intercepts of 113.07 grams per tonne gold over 0.55 metres and 61.35 grams per tonne gold over 2.04 metres, and 15.8 grams per tonne gold over 2.70 metres, plus an interval of multiple gold bearing veins in one drill hole averaging 2.30 grams per tonne gold over 25.25 metres.

The planned drilling at the Jaclyn North Zone will further test the area east of historic drill holes including the area of an approximate 300-metre long zone of gold-bearing quartz vein boulders. Three drill holes completed by the company during 2020 in this area intersected gold bearing quartz veins and extended the Jaclyn North quartz vein system approximately 260 metres east of historic drilling.

The company collected gold bearing quartz boulder samples in this area during 2017, including samples returning 163, 208 and 332 grams per tonne and again in 2020 including samples returning 17.4, 26.7 and 157.6 grams per tonne gold.

The company reported a NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimate during late 2018 for the Jaclyn Main Zone of 357,000 tonnes at 10.4 grams per tonne gold for 119,000 ounces uncapped. Because part of the vein is near surface, the resource estimate was constrained by a conceptual open pit to demonstrate reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction. Generic mining costs of US$2.50 per tonne and processing costs of US$25.00 per tonne were used together with a gold price of US$1,300 per ounce. All resources were classified as inferred because of the relatively wide spacing of drill holes through most of the zone.

Great Atlantic is also planning diamond drilling at the Otter Brook gold showing, located in the east region of the Golden Promise Property, where the company confirmed gold mineralization during 2020.

Eight of 11 rock samples, both float and outcrop, collected at this showing during 2020 exceeded 0.7 g/t gold including an outcrop grab sample returning 5.7 g/t gold. Great Atlantic has applied for a diamond drilling permit for up to 12 drill holes at this showing with holes planned under gold bearing outcrop and along the projected strike of the zone.

The Golden Promise Property is located within a region of recent significant gold discoveries. The property is located within the Exploits Subzone of the Newfoundland Dunnage Zone. Within the Exploits Subzone, the property lies along the north-northwestern fringe of the Victoria Lake Supergroup, a volcano-sedimentary terrane. Recent significant gold discoveries within the Exploits Subzone include those of Marathon Gold Corp. at the Valentine Gold Project, Sokoman Minerals Corp. at the Moosehead Gold Project and New Found Gold Corp. at the Queensway Project.

Viewers are warned that mineralization at the Valentine Gold Project, the Moosehead Gold Project, the Queensway Project, and elsewhere within the Exploits Subzone is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the company's Golden Promise Property.

Great Atlantic, with a number of properties in the Atlantic provinces, is utilizing a Project Generation model, with a special focus on critical elements which are prominent in Atlantic Canada, such as Antimony, Tungsten and Gold.

For more information, please visit the company's website www.GreatAtlanticResources.com, contact Christopher R. Anderson, President & CEO, at 604-488-3900 or email office@GreatAtlanticResources.com. For Investor Relations contact Andrew Job at 416-628-1560 or IR@GreatAtlanticResources.com.

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Every investor in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

With a market capitalization of US$20b, Albemarle is rather large. We'd expect to see institutional investors on the register. Companies of this size are usually well known to retail investors, too. In the chart below, we can see that institutions own shares in the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Albemarle.

View our latest analysis for Albemarle

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Albemarle?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that Albemarle does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Albemarle's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Albemarle is not owned by hedge funds. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 11% of shares outstanding. BlackRock, Inc. is the second largest shareholder owning 7.6% of common stock, and Franklin Resources, Inc. holds about 6.2% of the company stock.

Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 51% of the ownership is controlled by the top 15 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Albemarle

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Albemarle Corporation. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own US$75m worth of shares (at current prices). In this sort of situation, it can be more interesting to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 16% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Albemarle better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Albemarle , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of Impala Platinum Holdings (IMPUY), but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Impala Platinum Holdings is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 251 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. IMPUY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IMPUY's full-year earnings has moved 6.32% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, IMPUY has gained about 22.82% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 19.54%. As we can see, Impala Platinum Holdings is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, IMPUY belongs to the Mining – Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 47 individual stocks and currently sits at #106 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 31.07% so far this year, so IMPUY is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

IMPUY will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 2, 2021 / GREAT ATLANTIC RESOURCES CORP. (TSXV:GR)(FSE:PH01) (the "Company" or "Great Atlantic") is pleased to announce it has signed a contract with Rally Drilling Services for 2021 diamond drilling at its Golden Promise Gold Property, located in the central Newfoundland gold belt. Phase 2 diamond drilling is scheduled to resume immediately at the gold bearing Jaclyn Zone, specifically at the Jaclyn Main Zone and Jaclyn North Zone.

The Company reported a National Instrument 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimate during late 2018 for the Jaclyn Main Zone of 357,500 tonnes at 10.4 g/t gold (119,900 ounces of gold – uncapped).

The Company is planning to resume Phase 2 drilling on July 1 with up to 33 drill holes at the gold bearing Jaclyn Zone. This includes up to 15 drill holes at the Jaclyn Main Zone and up to 18 drill holes at the Jaclyn North Zone for approximately 5,000 meters. This includes in-fill drill holes within different part of the Jaclyn Main Zone, the objective to provide further definition of the zone and provide information for an updated resource estimate. Most of these holes are planned within the central to west region of the zone, testing above 200 meters vertical depth. Two holes are planned in the east part of the Jaclyn Main Zone to test the zone at 200-350 meters vertical depth. Great Atlantic confirmed high-grade gold at the Jaclyn Main Zone during 2019 drilling, including near surface intercepts (core length) of 113.07 grams / tonne (g/t) gold over 0.55 meters, 61.35 g/t gold over 2.04 meters and 15.8 g/t gold over 2.70 meters plus an interval of multiple gold bearing veins in one drill hole averaging 2.30 g/t gold over 25.25 meters.

The planned drilling at the Jaclyn North Zone will further test the area east of historic drill holes including the area of an approximately 300 meters long zone of gold-bearing quartz vein boulders. Three drill holes completed by the Company during 2020 Phase 2 drilling intersected gold bearing quartz veins and extended the Jaclyn North quartz vein system approximately 260 meters east of historic drilling. The Company collected gold bearing quartz boulder samples in this area during 2017 (including samples returning 163, 208 and 332 grams / tonne (g/t) gold) and 2020 (including samples returning 17.4, 26.7 and 157.6 g/t gold).

Great Atlantic is also planning diamond drilling at the Otter Brook gold showing, located in the east region of the Golden Promise Property. The Company confirmed gold mineralization at the Otter Brook showing during 2020. Eight of 11 rock samples (float and outcrop) collected at this showing during 2020 exceeded 0.7 g/t gold including an outcrop grab sample returning 5.7 g/t gold. Great Atlantic has applied for a diamond drilling permit for up to 12 drill holes at this showing with holes planned under gold bearing outcrop and along the projected strike of the zone.

The Golden Promise Property is located within a region of recent significant gold discoveries. The property is located within the Exploits Subzone of the Newfoundland Dunnage Zone. Within the Exploits Subzone, the property lies along the north-northwestern fringe of the Victoria Lake Supergroup (VLSG), a volcano-sedimentary terrane. The northwestern margin of the Golden Promise Property occurs proximal to, and, in part, contiguous with a major (Appalachian-scale) collisional boundary, and suture zone, known as the RIL. The RIL forms the western boundary of the Exploits Subzone. Recent significant gold discoveries within the Exploits Subzone include those of Marathon Gold Corp. (TSX.MOZ) at the Valentine Gold Project, Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV.SIC) at the Moosehead Gold Project and New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV.NFG) at the Queensway Project. Readers are warned that mineralization at the Valentine Gold Project, Moosehead Gold Project, and Queensway Project is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Golden Promise Property.

Great Atlantic reported a National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource estimate for the Jaclyn Main Zone (JMZ) in late 2018 (Company News Release of December 6, 2018; and Sedar-filed National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Golden Promise Property, Central Newfoundland (revised), dated December 4, 2018 by Mr. Greg Z. Mosher, M.Sc. App., P.Geo., and Mr. Larry Pilgrim, B.Sc., P.Geo.). The reported inferred mineral resource estimate for the JMZ is as follows:

Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources estimated will be converted into Mineral Reserves.
Mineral resource tonnage and contained metal have been rounded to reflect the accuracy of the estimate, and numbers may not add due to rounding.
Mineral resource tonnage and grades are reported as undiluted.
Contained Au ounces are in-situ and do not include recovery losses.

As reported in the National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Golden Promise Property, Central Newfoundland (revised), dated December 4, 2018 by Mr. Greg Z. Mosher, M.Sc. App., P.Geo., and Mr. Larry Pilgrim, B.Sc., P.Geo., the JMZ was modelled as a single quartz vein that strikes east-west and dips steeply to the south. Modelled vein thickness was based on true thickness derived from quartz vein intercepts. The estimate is based on 220 assays that were composited to 135 one-meter long composites. A bulk density of 2.7 g/cm³ was used. Blocks in the model measured 15 meters east-west, 1-meter north-south and 10 meters vertically. The block model was not rotated. Grades were interpolated using inverse-distance squared (ID²) weighting and a search ellipse that measured 100 meters along strike, two meters across strike and 50 meters vertically. Grades were interpolated based on a minimum of two and a maximum of 10 composites with a maximum of one composite per hole so the grade of each block is based on at least two drill holes thereby demonstrating continuity of mineralization. For the capped mineral resource estimate, all assays that exceed 65 g/t gold were capped at 65 g/t gold. All resources were classified as Inferred because of the relatively wide spacing of drill holes through most of the zone.

Because part of the vein is near surface the resource estimate was constrained by a conceptual open pit to demonstrate reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction. Generic mining costs of US$2.50/tonne and processing costs of US$25.00/tonne were used together with a gold price of US$1,300/ounce. A conceptual pit slope of 45° was assumed with no allowance for mining loss or dilution. Based on the combined hypothetical mining and processing costs and the assumed price of gold, a pit-constrained cutoff grade of 0.6 g/t was adopted. For the underground portion of the resource a cutoff of 1.5 g/t was assumed. The cutoff grade for the total resource is the weighted average of the pit-constrained and underground cutoff grades.

David Martin, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and VP Exploration for Great Atlantic, is responsible for the technical information contained in this News Release.

On Behalf of the board of directors
"Christopher R Anderson"
Mr. Christopher R. Anderson "Always be positive, strive for solutions, and never give up"
President CEO Director

Investor Relations:
Andrew Job 1-416-628-1560 IR @ GreatAtlanticResources.com
Office Line 604-488-3900

About Great Atlantic Resources Corp.
Great Atlantic Resources Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on the discovery and development of mineral assets in the resource-rich and sovereign risk-free realm of Atlantic Canada, one of the number one mining regions of the world. Great Atlantic is currently surging forward building the company utilizing a Project Generation model, with a special focus on the most critical elements on the planet that are prominent in Atlantic Canada, Antimony, Tungsten and Gold.

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Great Atlantic Resource Corp
888 Dunsmuir Street – Suite 888, Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3K4

SOURCE: Great Atlantic Resource Corp

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By Ernest Scheyder

(Reuters) – General Motors Co is investing in a U.S. lithium project that could become the country's largest by 2024, making the automaker one of the first to develop its own source of a battery metal crucial for the electrification of cars and trucks.

The deal, announced on Friday, comes as automakers around the world scramble for access to lithium and other electric vehicle (EV) metals as internal combustion engines are phased out.

Detroit-based GM said it will make a "multimillion-dollar investment" in and help develop Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) Ltd's Hell's Kitchen geothermal brine project near California's Salton Sea, roughly 160 miles (258 km) southeast of Los Angeles.

"This will supply a sizeable amount of our lithium needs," said Tim Grewe, GM's director of electrification strategy.

The company declined to be more specific on its investment amount, but said the project's lithium will be used to build EVs in the United States and that GM engineers and scientists will visit the site once pandemic-related travel restrictions end.

While other automakers, including China's Great Wall Motor Co and BYD, have invested in lithium producers before, none appear to have taken such an aggressive step to be part of the production process, as GM is taking with CTR.

The move could spark other automakers to follow suit with similar partnerships, especially as demand for the metal is expected to outstrip supply by 20% within four years, according to industry consultant Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

The Hell's Kitchen project could be producing 60,000 tonnes of lithium – enough to make roughly 6 million EVs, depending on design – by mid-2024 if all goes as planned, said Rod Colwell, CTR's chief executive. The company expects to obtain federal environmental permits by the end of next year.

That output would make CTR's Hell's Kitchen the largest U.S. producer of the white metal, with production roughly twice as much planned by a rival Nevada project from Lithium Americas Corp.

"There's a great window of opportunity here to develop more lithium in the United States," Colwell said.

The announcement comes two weeks after GM boosted its electric and autonomous vehicles budget by 75% to $35 billion.

The geothermal process involves extracting super-hot lithium-rich brine from reservoirs 8,000 feet (2.4 km) underground and using the heat to produce electricity, after which lithium is extracted from the brine.

The brine is then reinjected into the earth, making the process more sustainable than open-pit mines and brine evaporation ponds, the two most-common existing methods to produce the white metal.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc operates geothermal power plants at the Salton Sea and has in the past studied ways to produce lithium there. The Salton area is estimated to contain more than 15 million tonnes of lithium, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

CTR, which received California state funding last year, said its project will emit 15 times less carbon dioxide than lithium mines in Australia, the world's largest producer.

GM is also talking with other U.S. lithium companies for supply, including those who plan to produce the metal from clay, brine and other geological sources, Grewe said.

The announcement comes the day after U.S. President Joe Biden promoted a video on his Twitter feed featuring U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy driving in a GM-produced electric Chevy Bolt.

GM said there was no connection between the tweet and Friday's announcement.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

(Bloomberg) — Albemarle Corp., the world’s biggest producer of lithium, is fast-tracking advanced forms of the metal that could result in better batteries for electric vehicles.

A new lab in North Carolina will develop lithium products two to three times faster than previously, Chief Technology Officer Glen Merfeld said Wednesday. In particular, they’ll use cell-phone-sized custom samples to test out how well a lithium-concoction will work with, for example, new car models. That’s a process that currently takes months and happens off-site at manufacturers.

The lab will be an accelerator for what was “an incredibly slow process and was really arms-length,” Merfeld said in an interview.

The challenge is that there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all with lithium. Electric vehicle batteries are highly engineered, and to achieve the right performance, everything from the purity of the lithium to crystal structures and particle sizes are scrutinized by battery and automobile makers.

Automakers are rushing to secure supplies to ramp up electric vehicle output as they set up green-vehicle targets amid a global transition away from fossil fuels.

The lab is also creating a razor-thin form of lithium that will make batteries cheaper and more powerful. The foil measures just 20 microns, or about a fifth of a human hair. Albemarle said it may achieve thicknesses of 3 to 5 microns in the future. The technology could reduce costs by 50%, said Merfeld.

Lithium foils could replace graphite, an expensive part of batteries currently used in electric vehicles. Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in September the key to the company’s promised $25,000 car is to bring down power costs by reducing graphite and cobalt.

Albemarle’s innovation center is expected to be fully operational in July.

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Manufacturing partnership enables suspension-based manufacture of gene therapies and viral vector-based vaccines

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Pall Corporation, a global leader in filtration, separation and purification, today announced a new contract worth more than $7M with full-service contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Exothera S.A.

The new contract with Pall will establish a suspension-based manufacturing platform of up to 2000L, using a range of technologies including Allegro™ STR single-use bioreactors. The new installation allows for the production of a variety of viral vectors for gene therapies and viral vector-based vaccines.

Exothera recently announced a significant expansion of its manufacturing capabilities, with two new state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities built at the company's Jumet site near Brussels, Belgium. The new facilities, which are roughly 92,000 square feet and include a variety of functions from research and development to commercial production, will begin GMP production this summer.

Clive Glover, General Manager, Gene Therapy at Pall Corporation, said: "There is a strong pipeline of viral vector-based gene therapies and vaccines and the importance of rapidly realizing industrial-scale production for these vaccines and therapies has been brought into sharp focus by COVID-19. Pall has considerable process development expertise from working with many of the industry leaders to develop scalable upstream and downstream processes. We're thrilled to bring this experience to support Exothera as they expand their manufacturing capabilities."

The gene therapy and vaccine industries are facing complex challenges when scaling up vector-based processes. According to Vasily Medvedev, head of development at Exothera, the company selected the Pall end-to-end solution based on its flexibility and its capability to scale up processes quickly and efficiently.

"We selected Pall for their technological excellence and strong track record in the gene therapy and vaccines industries, as well as the level of support the team provides," explained Medvedev. "They offer a robust and cost-effective single-use solution."

Christian Borgniet, Chief Operating Officer of Exothera, added: "Compared to other suspension solutions, Pall's STR bioreactors are well-suited and could be adapted, if needed, to the perfusion mode, allowing higher growth and density of cells. We are pleased to establish this partnership with a very supportive company that is willing to transfer its expertise."

About Pall Corporation
Pall Corporation is a filtration, separation and purification leader providing solutions to meet the critical fluid management needs of customers across the broad spectrum of life sciences and industry. Pall works with customers to advance health, safety and environmentally responsible technologies. The Company's engineered products enable process and product innovation and minimize emissions and waste. Pall Corporation serves customers worldwide. For more information visit https://www.pall.com.

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Corporate Media Contact:
Pall Corporation
Amanda Comeau
Director, Corporate Communications
(508) 330-0811

About Exothera SA
Exothera is a viral vector CDMO (contract manufacturing and development organization) leveraging standard and innovative bioproduction platforms to rapidly deliver affordable viral vector-based vaccines and cell and gene therapies. As a Univercells company, Exothera capitalizes on novel manufacturing technologies and best-in-class bioprocessing expertise to provide bespoke process optimization and GMP clinical and commercial production of viral vectors. Based on its extensive technology expertise, Exothera selects technologies to optimally answer customer needs for cost-effective and agile viral vector manufacturing.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exothera / Website: www.exothera.world

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SOURCE Pall Corporation

Supports Piedmont’s Plan to Become America’s #1 Producer of Lithium Hydroxide

• PLL to acquire 9.47% of IronRidge Resources ("IRR") and a 50% interest in IRR’s Ghana-based lithium portfolio

• $15mm equity placement and 50% project interest to be earned through staged investments over 3-4 years

• Binding supply agreement for 50% of IRR’s planned Ghanaian spodumene concentrate ("SC6") production

• The IRR Ghana SC6 supply will support staged growth in Piedmont’s lithium hydroxide production

  • Feasibility Study of Carolina Lithium’s integrated 30,000 t/y LiOH on track for September 2021

  • 30,000 t/y integrated LiOH project in Quebec to be evaluated jointly with Sayona Mining

  • IRR SC6 supply provides optionality for incremental 30,000 t/y LiOH capacity at a site to be determined

  • Hydroxide capacity to be developed in stages to minimize execution and funding risks

BELMONT, N.C., July 01, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Piedmont Lithium Inc. (Nasdaq: PLL, ASX: PLL) is pleased to announce that it has entered into definitive agreements (the "Agreements") to establish a strategic partnership with IronRidge Resources ("IRR") (AIM: IRR) through the purchase of an equity stake in IRR, staged project investments to earn a 50% interest in IRR’s Ghana-based lithium portfolio ("IRR Ghana"), and a binding supply agreement for 50% of IRR Ghana’s planned spodumene concentrate ("SC6") production.

IRR Ghana has an impressive portfolio of spodumene prospects, anchored by the highly promising Ewoyaa Project (the "Ewoyaa Project"). The Ewoyaa Project has a current Mineral Resource of 14.5Mt @ 1.31% Li₂O with vast exploration potential.¹ The Ewoyaa Project has the potential to be a large, low-cost spodumene concentrate ("SC6") producer.

In January 2021, IRR published a scoping study for the Ewoyaa Project forecasting an average of 295,000 t/y of planned SC6 production, a $345 million after-tax net present value and an after-tax internal rate of return of 125%, for initial capital investment of $70 million.² The Ewoyaa Project capitalizes on its excellent location less than one mile from a major national highway and only 70 miles to the major port of Takoradi. The site is also directly adjacent to high voltage power and is expected to have a low environmental impact due to reliance on solar and hydroelectric generating capacity to power the facility. Piedmont conducted extensive due diligence over the past several months, including through site visits to Ghana, and believes that IRR Ghana has significant upside potential.

Piedmont will invest approximately $15 million (£10.8mm) to acquire a 9.47% equity interest in IRR (the "Subscription") and will appoint one director to IRR’s Board of Directors. Piedmont will also have the opportunity to earn a 50% stake in IRR Ghana by investing (i) $17 million to fund ongoing exploration and a definitive feasibility study over the next 24 months to earn an initial 22.5% project interest, and (ii) a further $70 million in 2023-2025 to fund the construction of the Ewoyaa Project to earn an additional 27.5% project interest, which would bring the total to 50% ownership in IRR Ghana (together, the "Project Investment"). Piedmont and IRR have also entered into a binding SC6 supply agreement (the "Supply Agreement"), conditioned on Piedmont completing its earn-in obligations, pursuant to which IRR will supply Piedmont 50% of IRR Ghana’s planned SC6 production (currently estimated to be 147,500 t/y) at market prices on a life-of-mine basis.

The Subscription is expected to close in August 2021 subject to satisfaction of conditions precedent with the Project Investment expected to be staged over a three-to-four-year period leading to initial production in 2025. . Summary of Transaction Terms are available on the company website.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are very pleased to announce a partnership with IronRidge Resources to jointly develop their outstanding spodumene project portfolio in Ghana. We consider IRR’s Ewoyaa Project to be among the world’s most promising spodumene projects. The high-grade mineral resource is currently modest in scale but offers substantial exploration potential, and the project is very well-located, being only 70 miles from a major port. Ewoyaa builds on Piedmont’s strategic commitment to be a large-scale and low-cost producer of lithium hydroxide from spodumene concentrate sourced from diverse sustainable resources in favorable jurisdictions.

"Ghana is one of Africa’s most successful nations, with a strong mining tradition and an increasingly diverse economic base. In naming Ghana as the headquarters for its entire African business earlier this year, Twitter described Ghana as a ‘Champion for Democracy’. Euler-Hermes regularly rates Ghana among the lowest-risk jurisdictions in the region, and Transparency International rates Ghana ahead of other lithium-rich countries such as Argentina, China, Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Mali, and the DRC in its annual corruption perception rankings.

"2021 has been a transformative year for Piedmont. We have built the world’s premier lithium development leadership team, significantly expanded our world-class Carolina Lithium Project, and become a multi-asset company through strategic investments in Quebec and in Ghana. We raised sufficient capital in March 2021 to comfortably fund these strategic initiatives as well as our definitive feasibility study in North Carolina and should end 2021 with a robust cash balance. We will now evaluate plans to capitalize on our expanded spodumene resource base to become a larger producer of the battery-quality lithium hydroxide that America will require to power the ongoing transition to electric vehicles. Lithium has been called ‘the irreplaceable element of the electric era,’ and we will bring large-scale production of lithium hydroxide to America."

Click here to view the complete release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210701005269/en/

Contacts

For further information:
Keith Phillips
President & CEO
T: +1 973 809 0505
E: kphillips@piedmontlithium.com

Brian Risinger
VP – Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
T: +1 704 910 9688
E: brisinger@piedmontlithium.com

Albemarle Corporation ALB announced the opening of its Battery Materials Innovation Center (“BMIC”) located at its Kings Mountain, NC, facility. The BMIC is projected to be fully operational this month and support Albemarle's lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate and advanced energy storage materials growth platforms.

The BMIC is equipped to facilitate synthesis of new materials, material properties characterization and analysis, material scale-up capabilities as well as material integration into battery cells for performance testing.

The site includes a dry room with a multi-layer pouch cell line that can manufacture cell-phone sized batteries to show critical aspects of battery performance and speed up transition of new products to customers.

The lab will also create lithium metal anode technologies, which will increase battery energy density by using advanced lithium metal rolling to achieve lithium foils 20 microns thin. The team intends to feature lithium foils as thin as 3-5 microns using new technologies presently being developed.

Shares of Albemarle have surged 114.4% in the past year compared with 46.9% rally of the industry.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Albemarle, in its last earnings call, stated that it expects its performance for full-year 2021 to improve modestly on a year-over-year basis on a sustained recovery in global economic activities.

The company expects net sales for 2021 between $3.2 billion and $3.3 billion. Moreover, adjusted EBITDA for the year has been forecast in the range of $810-$860 million. Albemarle also continues to see adjusted earnings per share in the band of $3.25-$3.65 for 2021.

Albemarle Corporation Price and Consensus

Albemarle Corporation price-consensus-chart | Albemarle Corporation Quote

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Albemarle currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Nucor Corporation NUE, Olin Corporation OLN and Cabot Corporation CBT.

Nucor has a projected earnings growth rate of around 344.9% for the current year. The company’s shares have surged 131.7% in a year. It currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Olin has an expected earnings growth rate of around 506.7% for the current year. The company’s shares have skyrocketed 309.3% in the past year. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.

Cabot has an expected earnings growth rate of around 137.5% for the current fiscal. The company’s shares have surged 53.8% in the past year. It currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1.

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State-of-the-art battery technology lab joins lithium R&D center at Kings Mountain site

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leader in the global specialty chemicals industry, announced today the opening of the company's Battery Materials Innovation Center (BMIC) located at its Kings Mountain, North Carolina, site.

The BMIC is expected to be fully operational in July 2021 and will support Albemarle's lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate and advanced energy storage materials growth platforms. It has been equipped to enable synthesis of new materials, material properties characterization and analysis, material scale-up capabilities, and material integration into battery cells for performance testing.

The facility includes a dry room with a multi-layer pouch cell line that can create cell-phone sized batteries to demonstrate critical aspects of battery performance and accelerate transition of new products to customers. The lab will also develop lithium metal anode technologies that will increase battery energy density by utilizing advanced lithium metal rolling to achieve lithium foils 20 microns thin – about one-fifth the average thickness of a human hair – or thinner. The team plans to demonstrate lithium foils as thin as 3 to 5 microns using new technologies currently being developed.

"The completion of the Battery Materials Innovation Center provides us with realistic and relevant cell building capabilities to generate meaningful data for next-gen battery material design," said Dr. Glen Merfeld, Albemarle Lithium Chief Technology Officer. "With this new resource, we will be equipped to optimize our lithium materials for a drop-in solution for customers that help them deliver high-performing cost-effective batteries for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market."

Currently, Albemarle is the only U.S.-based producer of lithium metal anodes; these and other novel materials developed in the company's labs will enable the next frontier of lithium-ion battery performance. In a June 14 roundtable discussion hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Merfeld stressed that advancements in lithium recovery and battery performance are critical to maximizing the energy yield of every gram of active lithium material. Moving from conventional graphite battery anodes to lithium metal offers the potential to double energy density and reduce cost by as much as 50%. Innovations that leapfrog current technologies and encourage step changes in disruptive cathode and next-generation anode manufacturing will make the future of high-capacity lithium-ion batteries possible.

About Albemarle
Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a global specialty chemicals company with leading positions in lithium, bromine, and refining catalysts. We think beyond business-as-usual to power the potential of companies in many of the world's largest and most critical industries, such as energy, electronics, and transportation. We actively pursue a sustainable approach to managing our diverse global footprint of world-class resources. In conjunction with our highly experienced and talented global teams, our deep-seated values, and our collaborative customer relationships, we create value-added and performance-based solutions that enable a safer and more sustainable future.

We regularly post information to www.albemarle.com, including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, non-GAAP reconciliations, SEC filings and other information regarding our company, its businesses and the markets it serves.

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SOURCE Albemarle Corporation