Lithium Royalty Corp. Announces Second Quarter 2025 Results
-
LRC repurchased
C$4 million worth of shares at a weighted average price ofC$5.62 in the quarter, retiring ~9% of the free float - Lower shipments and a 36% year-over-year drop in spodumene prices negatively impacted revenue
- Ganfeng’s Mariana project advanced commissioning during the second quarter, with first revenue to LRC expected in 2H25
-
Portfolio company Atlas Lithium released a definitive feasibility study (DFS) on its
Das Neves project, outlining strong economics supported by a favorable all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of$595 per tonne inclusive of the 3.0% LRC royalty -
Portfolio company Core Lithium released its restart study for the Finniss project, highlighting reduced cash costs and engaged
Morgan Stanley Australia to advise on the restart process - Zijin Mining’s Tres Quebradas project expects production in 2H25
-
LRC finished the quarter with
$28 million in cash, no debt, and a strong pipeline of opportunities - Lithium prices are up 52% from the lows in late June, as reported by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)
(in thousands of
“While the sector continued to face challenging conditions in the second quarter, LRC strategically acquired additional shares of LRC. Lithium prices weakened throughout the quarter into June, but we are encouraged by the recent rally up 52%, driven by continued robust demand, production cuts, and better visibility on trade dynamics. Despite the lithium market’s volatility, the LRC portfolio continues to advance and mature, with Ganfeng’s Mariana project expected to produce in 2H25, Zijin Mining’s Tres Quebradas project progressing to near-term production, and Atlas announcing its maiden resource report and DFS with a favourable cost position and low remaining capital expenditures. Additionally, Core Lithium released its restart study for the Finniss project, outlining a reduction in projected cash costs. Notwithstanding depressed lithium prices in Q2, key assets in the LRC portfolio continue to move forward, setting LRC up to deliver substantial organic growth in the years ahead,” said
LRC is reporting 14 Lithium Carbonate Equivalent tonnes (LCEts) or 170 Spodumene Concentrate Equivalent tonnes (SCEts) in the quarter1, compared to 63 LCEts or 740 SCEts in the prior quarter. LCEts were lower in the quarter due to depressed lithium prices, shipment delays, and certain assets being on care and maintenance compared to prior periods. Since the lows at the end of June, lithium prices have rebounded 52% supporting stronger pricing, incentivizing counterparties to accelerate deliveries and increase volumes to market.
Financial Highlights
3 months ended |
6 months ended |
|||||||
2025 |
2024 |
Variance |
% |
2025 |
2024 |
Variance |
% |
|
Royalty Revenue |
127 |
1,549 |
(1,422) |
(92%) |
756 |
2,180 |
(1,424) |
(65%) |
Depletion |
(25) |
(210) |
185 |
(89%) |
(140) |
(352) |
(212) |
(61%) |
Gross Profit |
102 |
1,339 |
(1,237) |
(92%) |
616 |
1,828 |
(1,212) |
(66%) |
General and administrative expenses |
(1,557) |
(1,515) |
(42) |
|
(3,527) |
(3,244) |
(283) |
|
Net (loss) / income |
(2,302) |
317 |
(2,619) |
|
(3,173) |
(728) |
(2,445) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income taxes (recovery) expense |
(63) |
284 |
(347) |
|
(315) |
121 |
(436) |
|
Finance income |
(250) |
(34) |
(216) |
|
(250) |
(96) |
(154) |
|
Depletion |
25 |
210 |
(185) |
|
140 |
352 |
(212) |
|
EBITDA |
(2,590) |
777 |
(3,367) |
|
(3,598) |
(351) |
(3,247) |
|
Foreign exchange loss (gain) |
6 |
7 |
(1) |
|
(9) |
37 |
(46) |
|
One time IPO share-based compensation (SBC) |
42 |
104 |
(62) |
|
125 |
540 |
(415) |
|
Impairment expense |
1,154 |
- |
1,154 |
|
1,154 |
- |
1,154 |
|
Other non-recurring income |
(158) |
(750) |
592 |
|
(317) |
(750) |
433 |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
(1,546) |
138 |
(1,684) |
|
(2,645) |
(524) |
(2,121) |
|
Royalty revenue was
At
Portfolio Updates
Ganfeng Lithium
Zijin Mining Tres Quebradas Royalty: Construction at Phase 1 (20,000tpa LCE) of the project is complete and Zijin expects to start production in 2H25, subject to market dynamics. Zijin is evaluating improvements to the processing and design of the plant to improve operations for Phase 2 (30,000tpa LCE) operations. LRC holds a net 0.90% GOR royalty on the Tres Quebradas project.
Atlas Lithium
Core Lithium Finniss Royalty: Core Lithium has released a restart study repositioning the Finniss project as a globally competitive spodumene operation. The study outlines a 20-year mine life with annual production of 205,000 tonnes of 6% spodumene concentrate equivalent (SC6), at unit operating costs of A$690–$785 (
Power Metals Case
Sayona Mining Moblan Royalty: In July, Sayona Mining released the final results from its 2024 drilling campaign at the Moblan lithium project in
Sinova Global Horse Creek Royalty: Sinova Global has recently commenced drilling and blasting in anticipation of the commencement of production of silica quartz at the
Palkovsky Group Valjevo Royalty:
Anticipated LRC Milestones4
- 2H25 – Inaugural royalty revenue from Ganfeng Lithium’s Mariana lithium project
- 2H25 – Expected production commencement from Zijin’s Tres Quebradas project
-
2H25 – Progression of Core Lithium restart process for Finniss lithium project restart led by
Morgan Stanley Australia -
2H25 – Atlas Lithium
$40 million expected pre-payment funding -
2H26 –
Power Metals Case Lake cesium project to begin production - 2026 – Sigma Lithium’s phase 2 production start
Lithium Market
The lithium market is in a rebalancing phase as strong demand growth begins to absorb a high, but moderate, pace of supply expansion. Demand in the second quarter of 2025 was driven by continued momentum in electric vehicle (EV) sales and a strong start to the year for energy storage systems (ESS). BloombergNEF forecasts a 25% increase in global EV sales in 2025 compared to 20245.
In Q2, Chinese EV sales grew 31% year-over-year (y/y), supported by continued model introductions and increasingly affordable offerings. In the first half of 2025, Chinese EV sales rose 36% y/y. Demonstrating ongoing enthusiasm for EVs in
In
In
Energy storage systems, which account for roughly 20% of global lithium demand, continue to expand rapidly. Tesla reported a 48% y/y increase in energy storage deployments in 1H25 with most shipments occurring in Q1 ahead of anticipated Q2 tariffs. ICCSino, a leading industry research and consulting company in
Additional demand tailwinds are emerging from new and underappreciated sources not yet fully incorporated into major demand forecasts. These include robotics, drones, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), electric marine shipping, and military applications. Declining battery costs and advances in battery chemistry are driving broader adoption beyond traditional sectors into emerging applications.
Spodumene prices declined 14% quarter-over-quarter to
Benchmark Minerals forecasts lithium demand to grow 20% and lithium supply to grow 15% in 2025, which should reduce the current market surplus. Moderating supply additions, driven by weaker pricing, are expected to improve market balance and operating conditions over time.
Qualified Persons
The technical and scientific information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved in accordance with NI 43-101 by
Important Dates and Events
Date |
Event |
|
LIRC 2Q25 Results Conference Call |
|
|
|
CEM Muskoka Capital Event |
|
Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit |
|
121 Mining Investment London |
|
|
|
27th Annual |
Shareholder Information
The Consolidated Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion & Analysis are available on our website and SEDAR+.
Q2 2025 Conference Call Details
Date:
Time:
Local -
Local -
Toll Free -
Conference ID: 01092
Webcast: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/229955412
About
LRC is a lithium-focused royalty company organized in
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future events or future performance, management’s expectations regarding LRC’s growth, results of operations, estimated future revenues, performance guidance, carrying value of assets and requirements for additional capital, mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates, production estimates, production costs and revenue, future demand for and prices of commodities,
expected mining sequences, business prospects and opportunities, the performance and plans of third party operators and the expected exposure for current and future assessments and available remedies. In addition, statements relating to resources and reserves and mine life are forward-looking statements, as they involve implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, and no assurance can be given that the estimates and assumptions are accurate and that such resources and reserves or mine life will be realized. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budgets”, “potential for”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “predicts”, “projects”, “intends”, “targets”, “aims”, “anticipates” or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions “may”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of LRC to be materially different from any future results, revenue, expenses, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. The forward-looking statements herein are made as of the date of this press release only and LRC does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
A number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement, including, without limitation: fluctuations in the prices of the primary commodities that drive royalty revenue (including various lithium products); fluctuations in the value of the Canadian and Australian dollar and any other currency in which revenue is generated, relative to the
For additional information with respect to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, please refer to LRC’s most recent Annual Information Form dated
Non-IFRS Measures
This earnings release makes reference to certain non-IFRS measures. These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS, do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Accordingly, the non-IFRS measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of the financial information reported under IFRS.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
EBITDA is a common metric used by investors and analysts to assist in their valuation of the Company. EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure, which excludes the following from net earnings:
- income tax expense and recovery;
- finance costs, netted against finance income; and
- depletion, depreciation and amortization.
In addition to EBITDA, we have determined that the following adjustments are necessary to arrive at Adjusted EBITDA, which we believe is a more accurate indicator of the Company’s ongoing operational performance:
- impairment charges and reversals;
- gain/loss on sale/disposition of assets/mineral interests;
- foreign currency translation gains/losses;
- increase/decrease in fair value of financial assets;
- expenses related to one-time share-based compensation granted at IPO
- other non-recurring income and charges.
Management believes that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are valuable indicators of our ability to generate liquidity by producing operating cash flow to fund working capital needs and fund acquisitions. These metrics are also frequently used by investors and analysts for valuation purposes, whereby the metrics are multiplied by a factor or “multiple” that is based on an observed or inferred relationship between Adjusted EBITDA and market values to determine the approximate total enterprise value of a company. LRC believes these measures assist investors, analysts and our shareholders to better understand our ability to generate liquidity from operating cash flow, as LRC believes that the excluded amounts are not indicative of the performance of our core business and do not necessarily reflect the underlying operating results for the periods presented.
3 months ended |
6 months ended |
|||||
2025 |
2024 |
Variance |
2025 |
2024 |
Variance |
|
Net (loss) income |
(2,302) |
317 |
(2,619) |
(3,173) |
(728) |
(2,445) |
Income tax (recovery) expense |
(63) |
284 |
(347) |
(315) |
121 |
(436) |
Finance income |
(250) |
(34) |
(216) |
(250) |
(96) |
(154) |
Depletion |
25 |
210 |
(185) |
140 |
352 |
(212) |
EBITDA |
(2,590) |
777 |
(3,367) |
(3,598) |
(351) |
(3,247) |
Foreign exchange loss (gain) |
6 |
7 |
(1) |
(9) |
37 |
(46) |
One time IPO share-based compensation (SBC) |
42 |
104 |
(62) |
125 |
540 |
(415) |
Impairment expense |
1,154 |
- |
1,154 |
1,154 |
- |
1,154 |
Other non-recurring income |
(158) |
(750) |
592 |
(317) |
(750) |
433 |
Adjusted EBITDA |
(1,546) |
138 |
(1,684) |
(2,645) |
(524) |
(2,121) |
1 |
Non-recurring gains include the gain on disposition of royalty interest and expenses incurred related to the substantial issuer bid. |
_______________________ | |
1 |
LRC calculates LCEts and SCEts by dividing royalty revenue for each quarter by the average spot market price during the quarter for the relevant commodity, delivered in |
2 |
Atlas Lithium SK-1300 Technical Report, |
3 |
Power Metals NI 43-101 Technical Report, |
4 |
Projections are based on public statements by and discussions with project operators and are not independent projections by LRC. |
5 |
EV – BNEF Electric Vehicle Outlook 2025 |
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250814077807/en/
Contact Information for Inquiries:
Investor Relations
(647) 792-1100
jonida@lithiumroyaltycorp.com
Source: