Centrus Energy (US:LEU) ZACKS·2025-12-30 15:01Core Insights - Centrus Energy has commenced industrial-scale centrifuge manufacturing at its Piketon, OH facility, marking a significant development in the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, which has been without large-scale domestic enrichment capabilities for over a decade [1][2] Group 1: Company Developments - The last U.S.-owned large-scale uranium enrichment plant was built in the 1950s and closed in 2013, leading to a reliance on foreign entities for enrichment capacity [2] - Centrus Energy is expanding its Piketon facility to produce both Low-Enriched Uranium and High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), and is a leading candidate for approximately $900 million in funding from the Department of Energy [3] - The company raised $1.2 billion through convertible note transactions and initiated a $1 billion at-the-market offering, alongside signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and POSCO International [4][5] Group 2: Strategic Partnerships and Contracts - The collaboration with KHNP and POSCO International opens avenues for additional supply agreements for Low-Enriched Uranium and HALEU, with POSCO also developing a next-generation High-Temperature Gas Reactor powered by HALEU [5] - Centrus Energy has secured $2.3 billion in contracts from domestic and international customers, contingent upon achieving key milestones in building new enrichment capacity [5] Group 3: Financial Performance and Market Position - Centrus Energy shares have increased by 272.9% over the past year, significantly outperforming the industry average growth of 49% [6] - The company is trading at a forward 12-month price/sales multiple of 9.25X, which is a premium compared to the industry average of 4.11X [8] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Centrus Energy's 2025 earnings is $4.66 per share, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 4.25%, while the estimate for 2026 is $3.85, indicating a decline of 17.2% [9]