RESTON, Va., Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightbridge Corporation ("Lightbridge" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: LTBR), an advanced nuclear fuel technology company, announced its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, and provided an update on the Company's continued progress.
Seth Grae, President & Chief Executive Officer of Lightbridge Corporation, commented, "2025 was an important year for Lightbridge and the nuclear power industry. Governments, utilities, and leading tech companies agree with our conclusion that reliable, clean nuclear power is necessary to meet the growing demand for electricity from AI and data centers, address rising energy costs, and help achieve energy independence."
"In 2025, we reached key milestones in our fuel development program. Our team, in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory, successfully co-extruded samples of depleted and enriched uranium-zirconium alloy and began testing them in the Advanced Test Reactor. These are important steps in demonstrating the performance of Lightbridge Fuel material and its potential use in both light-water reactors and future small modular reactors."
"The policy environment for nuclear energy has never been better. President Trump's nuclear executive orders in May 2025 show that the U.S. is making nuclear power expansion a national priority. The directives aim to add 300 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050 (the equivalent of 300 large reactors), make regulations easier to follow, and deploy advanced reactors for national security. At the same time, major technology companies are demonstrating unprecedented commitment to nuclear energy."
"We expect 2026 to be an exciting year for Lightbridge," concluded Mr. Grae.
Financial Highlights
Working capital was approximately $201.7 million at December 31, 2025, compared to $39.9 million at December 31, 2024.
Cash Flows Summary
At December 31, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $201.9 million, as compared to $40.0 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $161.9 million, consisting of the following:
-- Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2025
was $14.3 million, an increase of $4.8 million compared to $9.5 million
for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to
elevated spending on research and development (R&D) and general and
administrative expenses, partially offset by higher interest income,
reflecting increased average cash balances following equity financings
and higher short-term interest rates during the period.
-- Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31,
2025 was $176.2 million, an increase of $155.3 million compared to $20.9
million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This increase was due to a
$154.5 million increase in net proceeds received from the issuance of
common stock under our at-the-market ("ATM") equity offering program and
a $2.3 million increase in net proceeds from the exercise of stock
options, partially offset by a $1.5 million increase in the payment of
withholding taxes related to the net share settlement of equity awards.
-- Net cash provided by our ATM facility was $176.0 million from the
sale of approximately 12.6 million common shares and $21.4 million
from the sale of approximately 4.5 million common shares in 2025
and 2024, respectively.
Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets were $203.8 million and total liabilities were $0.8 million at December 31, 2025.
-- Stockholders' equity was $203.0 million at December 31, 2025, as compared
to $40.5 million at December 31, 2024.
Fiscal Year 2025 Operations Summary
-- General and administrative expenses amounted to $14.0 million for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $8.5 million for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. The $5.5 million increase was
primarily due to higher stock-based compensation, professional fees, and
employee compensation.
-- Lightbridge's total R&D expenses amounted to $9.2 million for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $4.6 million for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2024, an increase of $4.6 million. This increase
reflected increased activities related to the development of Lightbridge
Fuel, including project labor costs at Idaho National Laboratory,
increases in IT expenses related to the purchase of computer hardware and
software to support advanced nuclear modeling and simulation of
Lightbridge Fuel, and allocated employee compensation and stock-based
compensation.
-- Total other income was $3.6 million for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2025, compared to $1.3 million for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2024. Other income consisted of interest income earned from treasury
bills and our bank savings account, driven by higher average cash
balances.
-- Net loss was $19.6 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025,
compared to $11.8 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
CONFERENCE CALL & AUDIO WEBCAST
Lightbridge will host a conference call on Thursday, February 26, at 4:00 p.m. ET to discuss the Company's financial results and provide an update on its fuel development activities. The conference call will be led by Seth Grae, President & Chief Executive Officer, with other Lightbridge executives available to answer questions.
To access the call by phone, please register using this link (registration link), and you will be provided with dial-in details. To avoid delays, we encourage participants to dial in to the conference call 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. The webcast can be accessed at the following link (webcast).
A webcast replay will also be available for a limited time at the following link (webcast replay).
About Lightbridge Corporation
Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR) is focused on developing advanced nuclear fuel technology essential to delivering abundant, zero-emission, clean energy and providing energy security to the world. The Company is developing Lightbridge Fuel$(TM)$, a proprietary next-generation nuclear fuel technology for existing light-water and pressurized heavy-water reactors, significantly enhancing reactor safety, economics, and proliferation resistance. The Company is also developing Lightbridge Fuel for new small modular reactors to deliver the same benefits, plus load-following with renewables, on a zero-carbon electric grid.
Lightbridge has entered into two long-term framework agreements with Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, the United States Department of Energy's operating contractor for Idaho National Laboratory, the United States' lead nuclear energy research and development laboratory. DOE's Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear program has twice awarded Lightbridge to support the development of Lightbridge Fuel over the past several years. An extensive worldwide patent portfolio backs Lightbridge's innovative fuel technology. Lightbridge is included in the Russell 2000$(R)$ and Russell 3000(R) Indexes. For more information, please visit www.ltbridge.com.
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Forward Looking Statements
With the exception of historical matters, the matters discussed herein are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations on the date of this news release and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ significantly from such estimates. The risks include, but are not limited to: Lightbridge's ability to commercialize its nuclear fuel technology; the degree of market adoption of Lightbridge's product and service offerings; Lightbridge's ability to fund general corporate overhead and outside research and development costs; market competition; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; dependence on strategic partners; demand for fuel for nuclear reactors; Lightbridge's ability to manage its business effectively in a rapidly evolving market; the availability of nuclear test reactors and the risks associated with unexpected changes in Lightbridge's fuel development timeline; the increased costs associated with metallization of Lightbridge's nuclear fuel; public perception of nuclear energy generally; changes in the political environment; risks associated with war in Europe; changes in the laws, rules and regulations governing Lightbridge's business; development and utilization of, and challenges to, Lightbridge's intellectual property; risks associated with potential shareholder activism; potential and contingent liabilities; as well as other factors described in Lightbridge's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Lightbridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new developments or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Lightbridge's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and in its other filings with the SEC, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements," all of which are available at http://www.sec.gov/ and www.ltbridge.com.
Investor Relations Contact:
Matthew Abenante, IRC
Director of Investor Relations
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