Contrasting Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) and Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU)

Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) and Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk and dividends.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

48.2% of Energy Fuels shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 50.0% of Centrus Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Energy Fuels shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Centrus Energy shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Energy Fuels and Centrus Energy”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Energy Fuels	$38.66 million	29.14	$99.86 million	($0.22)	-26.05
Centrus Energy	$394.00 million	3.07	$84.40 million	$4.79	15.42

Energy Fuels has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Centrus Energy. Energy Fuels is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Centrus Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Energy Fuels and Centrus Energy’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Energy Fuels	-90.40%	-9.16%	-8.67%
Centrus Energy	19.24%	138.38%	10.81%

Risk and Volatility

Energy Fuels has a beta of 1.64, suggesting that its stock price is 64% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Centrus Energy has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Energy Fuels and Centrus Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Energy Fuels	0	2	2	0	2.50
Centrus Energy	0	2	1	0	2.33

Energy Fuels presently has a consensus price target of $8.50, suggesting a potential upside of 48.34%. Centrus Energy has a consensus price target of $92.00, suggesting a potential upside of 24.59%. Given Energy Fuels’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Energy Fuels is more favorable than Centrus Energy.

About Energy Fuels

Energy Fuels Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction, recovery, recycling, exploration, permitting, evaluation, and sale of uranium mineral properties in the United States. The company produces and sells vanadium pentoxide, rare earth elements, and heavy mineral sands, such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and monazite. The company was formerly known as Volcanic Metals Exploration Inc. and changed its name to Energy Fuels Inc. in May 2006. Energy Fuels Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado.

About Centrus Energy

Centrus Energy Corp. supplies nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry in the United States, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. The LEU segment sells separative work units (SWU) components of LEU; natural uranium hexafluoride, uranium concentrates, and uranium conversion; and enriched uranium products to utilities that operate nuclear power plants. The Technical Solutions segment offers technical, manufacturing, engineering, and operations services to public and private sector customers. The company was formerly known as USEC Inc. and changed its name to Centrus Energy Corp. in September 2014. Centrus Energy Corp. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.