Azzet reports on three stocks with price moving updates today.
Patriot Battery Metals rallies on Vega Zone update ~
Shares in Patriot Battery Metals (ASX: PMT) - rebranded as PMET Resources in late 2025 - were trading 6% higher by 1:50 pm AEDT (2:50 am GMT) after the lithium explorer’s update today added to a string of recent events that have collectively seen its share price double since early November.
What excited the market today was the announcement of its widest and highest-grade caesium intercepts to date at the Vega Zone of its CV13 pegmatite.
To the uninitiated, this zone is part of the larger Shaakichiuwaanaan Project (formerly known as the Corvette Property), situated in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of northern Quebec, Canada.
Today’s announced results included intervals up to 28.0 metres at 8.05% Cs2O and a peak sample grade of 29.79% Cs2O, while expanding the interpreted footprint and width of caesium mineralisation.
Additional high-grade caesium hits were announced from infill drilling at the Rigel Zone and from the newly discovered Helios Zone, which underpins the scale and quality of the project’s caesium endowment and reinforces the potential for the Shaakichiuwaanaan Property to enhance the company’s value and strategic positioning in specialty battery and technology metals.
Commenting on today’s update, Darren Smith, executive vice president of exploration, told the market that Shaakichiuwaanaan continues to deliver impressive results, with the 2025 drill campaign returning the highest caesium grades reported to date at the property.
“With multiple intercepts exceeding 25% Cs2O, dominant pollucite mineralogy, and scale already demonstrated through defined Mineral Resources, the opportunity for the company to further enhance shareholder value through this caesium deposit is meaningful,” he said.
“We look forward to reporting caesium results for the remaining holes outstanding and integrating this opportunity into the overall Project development scenario.”
Today’s update follows what appears to have been a perfect storm for the stock in the last few months, including positive feasibility results, significant new high-grade discoveries at its flagship property, and a broader recovery in the lithium sector.
In October 2025, the company released a positive lithium-only Feasibility Study for the CV5 Pegmatite at its Shaakichiuwaanaan Project.
The study declared a maiden Probable Mineral Reserve of 84.3 million tonnes at 1.26% Li2O, confirming its status as one of the largest lithium resources in the Americas.
Throughout December 2025 and January 2026, the company announced multiple high-grade discoveries at the Vega and CV13 zones.
Notable results included high-grade caesium discoveries with samples up to 17.92% Cs2O at CV5, signalling potential for high-value by-products alongside lithium.
Then there was the continued confidence from the Volkswagen partnership - which includes a 9.9% stake and a 10-year offtake agreement for 100,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate annually - plus a lithium market recovery with Spot prices for lithium carbonate rebounded significantly, rising 56% from their January 2025 lows by year-end.
The stock also appears to be benefitting from analyst expectations of a narrowing surplus in 2026, due to the energy storage boom.
Patriot Battery Metals has a market cap of $367 million; the share price is up 110% in one year and up 12.5% in the last month.
The stock is in a strong bullish trend, confirmed by multiple indicators.
Consensus is Strong Buy.
Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT falls despite strong 1H result
Despite reporting strong half-year results and upgrading its full-year distribution guidance today, Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT (ASX: CQE) appears to have been dragged down, off 3.1% today amid the broader sell-off in the ASX 200 and specific pressure on the REIT sector following disappointing Australian inflation data.
Rising interest rates typically hurt REITs, and the latest inflation data has heightened investor fear of another rate hike by the Reserve Bank in May.
However, on any other given day, the REIT’s first-half earnings and upgraded its full-year distribution outlook may have seen the share price move higher.
The REIT reported operating earnings of $31.4 million for the six months to December 31, up 10.2% on a year earlier, while statutory profit jumped 51.6 per cent to $47 million.
Operating earnings rose 11.8% to 8.5 cents per unit, and distributions increased 12.0 per cent to 8.4 cents per unit.
Commenting on today’s update, the REIT’s fund manager, Travis Butcher, told the market that active portfolio curation underpins future earnings and distribution growth.
He attributed the increase in the FY26 distribution guidance by 1.2% to 17.0 cpu to the high-quality acquisitions made during this half at an average yield of 6.8%.
It’s understood these accretive investments were partially funded through the divestment of 20 early learning assets throughout the period at an average yield of 4.3% at a 4.6% premium to book value.
“CQE continued to benefit from the completion of 58 market rent reviews with a positive 6.1% growth resulting in weighted average rent review growth of 4.2% over the last twelve months,” he said.
“The REIT has a well-positioned diversified social infrastructure portfolio with an 11.4 year WALE, 99.6% occupancy and a strong financial position with a weighted average debt maturity of 4.4 years following the recent successful debt refinancing.”
Due to strong population growth - continuing to drive demand for high-quality social infrastructure assets across education, life sciences, health and government essential services - Butcher believes the REIT is well positioned to continue growing within this attractive and defensive real estate segment.
Other key numbers announced today include:
- Net tangible assets rose 1% to $3.90 per unit.
- The REIT’s property portfolio was valued at $2.3 billion, with independent valuations on 61% of assets resulting in a $12.2 million uplift, or 1.1 per cent, from June book values.
- The portfolio yield edged up to 5.5 per cent from 5.4 per cent.
- The balance sheet was strengthened after a $900 million debt refinancing in July, including the addition of $450 million in Asian term loan facilities.
- Gearing stood at 34.1%, within the trust’s target range.
Analysts are encouraged by the REIT's ability to recycle capital - divesting lower-yielding childcare assets at a 4.6% premium to book value - and reinvesting in higher-yielding infrastructure like university campuses.
Goldman Sachs remains highly bullish with a Conviction Buy rating and a price target of $4.13.
Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT has a market cap of $1 billion; the share price is up 14% in one year and down 6% in the last month.
The REIT’s shares are in a downtrend confirmed by multiple indicators.
In the medium-term, the 5-day moving average is beneath the 50-day moving average. Near-term, the 20-day moving average is falling.
Each of these indicators tells investors that market participants see better opportunities elsewhere.
Consensus is Moderate Buy.
Cauldron Energy jumps following analysis from its 2025 drilling program
Shares in Cauldron Energy (ASX: CXU) were trading 3% higher after the uranium-focused small cap reported that groundwater analysis from its 2025 drilling program at Manyingee South, Manyingee North and Cosgrove palaeochannels within the Yanrey Uranium Project - in the northern region of WA - shows low levels of chloride and sulphate.
What appears to have excited the market are initial suggestions that the water is likely suitable for in situ recovery (ISR) operations and ion-exchange processing.
The testing, conducted by ANSTO Minerals, represents the first water results from Manyingee North and South and is viewed by the company as a key technical milestone towards establishing a future ISR operation at Yanrey.
This reinforces the project’s development potential and aligns Cauldron with the global shift toward lower-impact, lower-capex uranium production methods.
The analysis of groundwater samples, collected during the 2025 drill program from the Manyingee South, Manyingee North, and Cosgrove palaeochannels, reveals low levels of chlorine and sulphate.
The water analysis was conducted by the Minerals division of ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation), a leading provider of technical services to the uranium mining sector.
These results mark the first water analysis for Cauldron from its Manyingee North and South project areas, building upon previous technical analysis conducted for the Bennet Well area.
Cauldron also noted a historical Field Leach Trial conducted in Paladin’s Manyingee project area, indicating suitability for ISR operations in that adjacent area.
Commenting on today’s update, Cauldron CEO Jonathan Fisher told the market that the initial results for groundwater contained within the palaeochannels at Manyingee South, Manyingee North and Cosgrove show that the groundwater is of good quality with low levels of sulphate and chloride, a positive sign for ion exchange suitability.
“We will continue to take further samples and to monitor water quality as we progress the project as part of the overall technical process we go through to prove up a future world class ISR operation,” said Fisher, who reminded the market that 50% of global uranium production is now via the ISR method.
“We look forward to building our ISR expertise through our previously announced arrangement with Navoiuyran, one of the world’s most experienced ISR companies. These water results are an important step towards future production at Yanrey.”
To the uninitiated, Cauldron’s Yanrey Uranium Project is located 100 km south of Onslow and covers a large area with over 80 kms of ancient Early Cretaceous coastline.
The company has defined in excess of 42 Mlbs of uranium oxide in Mineral Resources at its Yanrey Uranium Project area.
Cauldron will continue to build its ISR expertise through an arrangement with Navoiuyran, one of the world’s most experienced ISR companies, making these water results an important step toward future production at Yanrey.
Meanwhile, the company managed to significantly strengthen its balance sheet in late 2025 and early 2026 through the large-scale exercise of listed options and successful capital raisings.
Balance sheet strengthening follows the expiry of its ASX-listed CXUO options on 30 December 2025, with approximately 95% of the options converted over their life and 247.6 million options exercised in December alone.
This added $3.7 million in cash, lifting its end-December cash balance to more than $4.4 million.
Management believes the strong option conversion outcome reflects investor confidence after a successful 2025 exploration program at the Yanrey Uranium Project.
Cauldron Energy has a market cap of $71 million; the share price is up 212% in one year and up 52% in the last month.
The stock appears to be in a strong bullish trend, confirmed by multiple indicators.
Consensus does not cover this stock.
This article does not constitute financial or product advice. You should consider independent advice before making financial decisions.
