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ABAT sinks after the US Department of Energy terminates its grant for lithium facility

American Battery Technology Co. is in a hole early on Thursday, currently trading 20% lower than yesterday’s close price, after the company revealed in an SEC filing that the US Department of Energy has terminated its $57.7 million grant supporting the construction of a lithium hydroxide facility.

The termination follows a May memorandum ordering audits of all grants issued by the DOEs Manufacturing Energy Supply Chain office.

In September 2023, ABAT signed a $115 million funding deal with the DOE for the lithium plant, under which both sides were to contribute $57.7 million each. After the DOE’s audit announcement in May, the agency terminated the grant on October 9. ABAT says it appealed the decision the next day and that it plans to seek dispute resolution remedies, according to its 8K filing.

As of last weeks grant termination, about $52 million in DOE funds remain unused. The company said it has already raised over $52 million of funds from the public markets this year, and intends to keep the project going without impact to timeline or scope.

In April, the firm also received a $900 million financing letter of interest from the US Export-Import bank to back its Nevada lithium mine and refinery.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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