Lightbridge (LTBR) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

DATE

Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

CALL PARTICIPANTS

• Senior Director of Investor Relations and Capital Markets – Matthew Abenante
• Chairman and Chief Executive Officer – Seth Grae
• Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – Andrey Mushakov
• Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer – Scott Holcombe
• Chief Financial Officer – Larry Goldman
• Controller – Lesli Mills

TAKEAWAYS

• Cash and Cash Equivalents — $236.7 million as of Sept. 30, 2026, compared to $201.9 million at the end of 2025, reflecting proceeds from at-the-market equity sales and higher interest income.
• Net Loss — $8.3 million for the third quarter, an increase from $4.1 million in the prior-year period due to higher research and development and general and administrative spending.
• Net Loss Per Share — $0.23 for the third quarter, compared to $0.16 in the same period last year, reflecting increased operating costs and a higher weighted average share count.
• Research and Development Expenses — $5.3 million for the quarter, up from $2.0 million driven by increased employee compensation and software costs for high-performance computing.
• General and Administrative Expenses — $5.0 million for the quarter, compared to $3.2 million in the prior-year period, due to higher professional services fees and costs related to new hires.
• At-The-Market Net Proceeds — $4.5 million raised in the third quarter through the sale of 579,685 shares, providing continued capital flexibility.
• Remaining ATM Capacity — $91.4 million available under the existing $150 million program as of Sept. 30, 2026, for future funding requirements.
• Operating Cash Usage — $13.2 million for the first nine months of 2026, compared to $8.1 million in the previous year, reflecting the more resource-intensive stage of development.
• Interest Income — $5.2 million for the first nine months of 2026, driven by higher average cash balances invested in U.S. Treasury bills.
• DOE LaunchPad Selection — In August 2026, enabling an accelerated path for designing and operating a pilot manufacturing facility at Idaho National Laboratory.
• ATR Loop Testing Agreement — Secured in August 2026 through Project Task Statement #2, allowing fuel rodlet testing under conditions representative of commercial pressurized water reactors.
• Power Uprate Targets — 10% to 20% for existing reactors depending on steam generator configurations, representing the company’s core design performance goals.
• New Reactor Power Output — Roughly 33% higher for new builds equipped with higher capacity steam generators, according to management projections.
• Post-Irradiation Examination Timeline — First meaningful quantitative results from the initial batch of fuel test samples are expected in the first half of 2027.
• HALEU Supply Framework — Established via a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding with Quadrant Nuclear Industries in July 2026 for potential long-term uranium supply.
• Nine-Month R&D Spending — $12.6 million, an increase from $5.3 million in the prior year driven by a $4.3 million rise in employee compensation.
• IT and Computing Costs — Rose $1.7 million for the first nine months, supporting fuel performance modeling and code development.
• Japan Patent Allowance — Received in September 2026, covering multi-zone fuel elements and additive manufacturing production methods.
• Working Capital — $234.2 million as of Sept. 30, 2026, compared to $201.7 million at the end of 2025.
• Total Debt — Zero debt reported on the balance sheet as of Sept. 30, 2026, maintaining a clean capital structure.

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RISKS

• Goldman stated, “We expect that development of our Lightbridge fuel pilot factory and the continued advancement of our broader fuel development program will require additional capital over time,” indicating a need for future financing.
• Mushakov warned that construction and operation of the pilot factory remains “subject to additional DOE and INL agreements, reviews, authorizations and other prerequisites before construction can start,” creating potential project delays.

SUMMARY

Lightbridge Corporation (LTBR -8.46%) reported that its selection for the Department of Energy’s LaunchPad program establishes an accelerated path for manufacturing lead test assemblies through a dedicated pilot facility at the Idaho National Laboratory. Management stated that this facility, designated as SHED, will operate under Department of Energy authorization to potentially shorten commercialization timelines. Executives noted that the recent agreement for loop irradiation testing in the Advanced Test Reactor allows for fuel rodlets to be tested under conditions representative of commercial pressurized water reactors. The company also reported progress in licensing its intellectual property, including a patent allowance in Japan for its multi-zone fuel design and additive manufacturing techniques. Management confirmed that the current liquidity position provides flexibility to fund expanded research and development as the company enters a more resource-intensive phase of its development program.

• CEO Grae stated, “We expect to be able to announce in the first half of 2027, the first meaningful results following post-irradiation examination of the initial batch of Lightbridge fuel test samples.”
• Grae indicated that a utility could make a conditional commitment to host lead test assemblies before loop irradiation testing is complete, noting, “we believe it is possible for the lead test assembly demonstration program to proceed in parallel with loop irradiation testing of the remaining rodlets.”
• Mushakov noted that the pilot factory will serve as a multipurpose platform beyond a single research project, stating, “The pilot factory will operate under an NQA-1 Nuclear Quality Assurance Program from the outset.”
• Management reported that fuel design is tailored for market demand for longer operating cycles and power uprates, with Grae noting utilities want “power uprates of 10% to 20% from the same plant footprint and operating license.”
• The company has expanded its presence in Idaho Falls, which now houses more employees than any other Lightbridge location to support the upcoming pilot factory and research initiatives.

INDUSTRY GLOSSARY

• ATR: Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory, used for testing nuclear fuel under controlled conditions.
• HALEU: High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium, a type of nuclear fuel required for many advanced reactor designs.
• LTA: Lead Test Assembly, a prototype fuel assembly used for demonstration in a commercial reactor.
• NQA-1: Nuclear Quality Assurance-1, a regulatory standard for quality assurance requirements in nuclear applications.
• NRIC: National Reactor Innovation Center, a Department of Energy initiative to accelerate the demonstration of advanced nuclear reactors.
• SHED: Lightbridge Fuel Pilot Facility, a dedicated manufacturing site planned at Idaho National Laboratory.
• Uprate: An increase in the power generation capacity of an existing nuclear power plant.

Full Conference Call Transcript

Operator: Thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Lightbridge Corporation Business Update and Third Quarter 2026 Conference Call. Please note that today’s call is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce Matthew Abenante, Senior Director of Investor Relations and Capital Markets for Lightbridge Corporation.

Matthew Abenante: Thank you, operator, and thank you all for joining us today. Our earnings press release was distributed this morning before the market opened and is available on the Investor Relations page of the Lightbridge website at www.ltbridge.com. Joining us on the call today is Seth Grae, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; along with Andrey Mushakov, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Scott Holcombe, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; Larry Goldman, Chief Financial Officer; and Lesli Mills, Controller. I want to remind our listeners that any statements on this call that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Today’s discussion includes forward-looking statements about the company’s competitive position and product and service offerings.

During today’s call, words such as expect, anticipate, believe and intend will be used in our discussion of future goals and events. This discussion is based on current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ significantly from such estimates. These and other risks are set forth in more detail in Lightbridge’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lightbridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new developments or otherwise. And with that, I would like to turn the call over to our first speaker, Seth Grae, Chief Executive Officer of Lightbridge. Hello, Seth.

Seth Grae: Hello, Matt, and thank you all for joining us to discuss Lightbridge’s Third Quarter 2026 business update. The third quarter brought what we believe is the most significant advance to date in Lightbridge’s path from fuel testing to commercial development. In August, Lightbridge was selected to participate in the Nuclear Energy LaunchPad INL program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Research Innovation Center (sic) [ National Reactor Innovation Center ] at Idaho National Laboratory. Selection provides an accelerated pathway toward DOE authorization for us to design, build and operate a pilot facility at INL to manufacture lead test assemblies of Lightbridge Fuel for demonstration in U.S. commercial power reactors.

We now call that facility, the Lightbridge Fuel Pilot Facility, which we informally referred to as SHED. By establishing a dedicated manufacturing facility under DOE authorization, we expect to shorten the time line for producing lead test assemblies for operation in commercial U.S. reactors. That gives us a two-pronged approach. The pilot factory is designed to produce lead test assemblies under DOE authorization while we continue to develop a conceptual design for our future commercial scale plans, the Lightbridge Fuel Factory, formerly referred to as the Lightbridge Expandable Fuel Facility. The Lightbridge Fuel Factory will still be expandable even though it doesn’t have that word in its name. Alongside that milestone, we advanced in other key areas during the quarter.

In August, we entered into a new Project Task Statement with Idaho National Laboratory that gives us access to the Loop Facility of the Advanced Test Reactor where we will irradiate clad Lightbridge Fuel rodlets under the conditions of a fuel rod would experience in a commercial light water reactor. And in September, we received notice of — allowance of a patent from the Japan patent office covering our multi-zone fuel element and 3D printing method. I will now turn the call over to Andrey Mushakov, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to walk through our fuel development program highlights in detail. Andrey?

Andrey Mushakov: Thank you, Seth. As Seth mentioned, our focus since the launch pad selection has been on preparing the pilot factory. We’re currently working with NRIC and INL to negotiate the applicable agreements and project scope. The authorization to construct and operate the pilot factory remains subject to additional DOE and INL agreements, reviews, authorizations and other prerequisites before construction can start. And as of September 30, 2026, we had not entered into any material binding commitments for its construction. We plan to design the pilot factory as a multipurpose fuel manufacturing and R&D platform rather than a facility dedicated solely to the single fuel research project and it will have a dedicated research and development laboratory.

The pilot factory will operate under an NQA-1 Nuclear Quality Assurance Program from the outset. I also want to be clear the DOE authorization of the pilot factory does not constitute authorization for lead test assemblies to be used in commercial power reactors. Any such use would remain subject to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing, review and approval of lead test assemblies as well as any required approvals by the host utility. The pilot facility will only ever be DOE authorized and not subject to NRC licensing. Development of the pilot factory and our planned fabrication of lead test assemblies will require qualified source of uranium feedstock, including high-assay low-enriched uranium and uranium metal.

We are evaluating potential supply sources, alternative supply arrangements and related infrastructure requirements to support these activities. Separately, we continue to build the organization at Lightbridge. Idaho Falls is now home to more Lightbridge employees than any other location, and we expect to hire additional engineering and technical personnel as the pilot factory and our fuel development work progress. Approach remains disciplined and aligned with program needs so that we attract top talent and build a world-class team while maintaining capital efficiency. With that, I’ll turn the call over to Scott.

Scott Holcombe: Thank you, Andrey. I will start with the Advanced Test Reactor Loop, which is the milestone Seth mentioned. In August, we entered into Project Task Statement #2 under our cooperative research and development agreement with Battelle Energy Alliance, the DOE operating contractor for Idaho National Laboratory, which we announced in September. It gives us access to the loop testing facility of the ATR. Unlike other in-core positions, a loop irradiates fuel within its own independently controlled environment, the coolant chemistry, temperature, pressure and flow a fuel rod experience in a commercial light water reactor. There are a limited number of positions in the world where that is possible, and we’re now able to place our fuel into one of them.

Under this task statement, we will test enriched uranium and zirconium fuel rodlets with cladding, both cylindrical and multi-lobe geometry. The scope of work includes experiment design, provision of materials, assembly, irradiation and shipment and disposition of materials. Samples from this irradiation are later intended for further testing under transient conditions in INL’s transient reactor test facility. The rodlets for that test build on our fabrication work with INL under SPP Project Task Statement #6 which supports the development of co-extruded fuel rod components for future loop irradiation testing in the ATR and transient testing. That program begins with depleted uranium and upon successful demonstration is expected to move to enriched uranium to produce fuel rod segments for irradiation experiments.

Turning to the first batch of fuel material samples removed from the ATR in May, postirradiation examination has begun. That examination will collect data on fundamental material properties at various burn-up levels which is what is required to validate and verify our field performance models, and it becomes part of the basis of our licensing work. Back to you, Seth.

Seth Grae: Thank you, Scott. The policy environment continues to move towards the market Lightbridge fuel is designed for. In June, I represented Lightbridge at the White House, launch of UPRISE. The Department of Energy initiative targeting approximately 5 gigawatts of additional nuclear capacity from reactors that are already operating. Lightbridge Fuel is designed to increase the power output of an existing reactor by up to 10% with no change to the plant’s steam generators and up to 20% for plants that move to a high-capacity steam generator. New build reactors equipped with higher capacity steam generators could see an increase of roughly 1/3. Our testing and licensing program exists to confirm those design targets.

Commercial deployment also requires fuel material, and that supply must be arranged years in advance. In July, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Quadrant Nuclear Industries to establish a framework for discussions regarding potential long-term supply of HALEU from QNI’s planned Vanguard facility at Idaho National Laboratory. The memorandum is nonbinding and does not establish pricing, quantity or exclusivity commitments and any binding terms will be subject to a definitive agreement. We continue to believe the prospects for growth in nuclear power are the strongest they have ever been.

There are approximately 440 operating power reactors worldwide today to triple nuclear power globally and quadruple it in the United States by 2050, the world will need more power from reactors already operating, not only from those still to be built. Lightbridge Fuel is designed to deliver exactly that within the same-sized cores of new reactors and plants that exist today with even greater safety and also in new reactors. I will now turn the call over to Larry Goldman, Chief Financial Officer, for a summary of the company’s financial results. Larry?

Lawrence Goldman: Thank you, Seth, and good afternoon, everyone. I’d like to remind listeners that our detailed financial results are included in our earnings release issued this morning before the market opened and in our Form 10-Q that will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission later this week. Those materials will also be available on the Investor Relations section of the Lightbridge Corporation website and on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s website. I encourage everyone to review these documents for a full discussion of our financial statements, management discussion and analysis of financial condition, Risk Factors and other related disclosures.

As of September 30, 2026, we held approximately $236.7 million in cash and cash equivalents compared to approximately $201.9 million at December 31, 2025, and we have no debt. Our balance sheet provides us with significant financial flexibility as we continue to expand our organization, invest in the infrastructure and capabilities required to support our fuel development program and advance key technical and commercialization milestones. We are now moving into a more resource-intensive stage of our development program with both head count growth and the supporting infrastructure needed to execute our R&D programs at a larger scale.

As we advance the planning and development activities associated with constructing our Lightbridge Fuel pilot factory, we expect this initiative to represent a significant multiyear investment. Expenditures are expected to be phased over the pilot factory development period and managed in a disciplined manner, taking into account technical progress, program priorities, and available financial resources. Additional information regarding our current estimated cost and development time line for the Lightbridge fuel pilot factory is included in our Form 10-Q this quarter. For the first 9 months of 2026, we used approximately $13.2 million of cash in operating activities compared to $8.1 million for the same period last year, an increase of $5.1 million.

This increase was partially offset by higher interest income earned, reflecting our increased average cash and cash equivalent balances following our equity financing. During the 9 months ended September 30, 2026, we sold in aggregate 4.3 million shares under our at-the-market or ATM sales agreement with Jefferies resulting in an aggregate net proceeds of $48.9 million. During the third quarter, ATM activity was more limited with approximately $4.5 million of net proceeds raised. As of September 30, 2026, approximately $91.4 million remained available under our $150 million ATM program.

While our current liquidity position provides us with substantial financial flexibility, we expect that development of our Lightbridge fuel pilot factory and the continued advancement of our broader fuel development program will require additional capital over time. We continue to evaluate other funding opportunities in a disciplined manner to support our long-term fuel development activities. Our potential funding sources include strategic partnerships, government grants and contracts and as appropriate, additional capital market transactions. Our capital allocation strategy remains disciplined and milestone driven. We direct resources toward the activities that advance our fuel toward regulatory licensing and commercialization, expansion of our in-house team, irradiation testing, postirradiation examination, fabrication development, computational infrastructure, safety analysis development and now deployment of our pilot factory.

I will now turn the call over to Lesli Mills, our Controller, who will review our P&L for the third quarter and first 9 months of 2026. Lesli?

Lesli Mills: Thank you, Larry. Net loss was $20.4 million or $0.62 per share for the first 9 months of 2026 compared to $12.4 million or $0.55 per share for the first 9 months of 2025. Total operating expenses were $25.6 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2026, compared to $14.5 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2025, an increase of $11.1 million. For the 9 months ended September 30, 2026, total R&D expenses amounted to $12.6 million, compared to $5.3 million, an increase of $7.3 million.

The increase was primarily due to a $4.3 million increase in employee compensation and stock-based compensation, reflecting an increase in new hires, increased employee bonuses and several new stock-based awards, partially offset by a reversal of previously recognized stock-based compensation for a performance milestone no longer deemed probable of achievement. A $1.7 million increase in IT expenses comprised primarily of computer software, operating expenses related to the company’s high-performance computer and co-development, a $0.6 million increase in INL project labor costs, a $0.4 million increase in R&D project development costs primarily related to critical heat flux testing and safety analysis and a $0.3 million increase in other outside R&D expenses.

Total stock-based compensation included in research and development expenses was $1.9 million and $0.9 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively. Total G&A expenses were $13 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2026, compared to $9.2 million, an increase of $3.8 million. The increase was primarily due to a $2.4 million increase in employee compensation and stock-based compensation for employees, contractors and directors, reflecting new hires, increased bonuses and several new stock-based awards, partially offset by a reversal of previously recognized stock-based compensation for performance milestone no longer deemed probable of achievement.

A $1 million increase in professional and consulting services and a $0.4 million increase in other administrative expenses, including insurance, information technology, travel and patent expenses. Total stock-based compensation included in G&A expenses was $4.4 million and $2.7 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively. Total other income was $5.2 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2026, compared to $2.1 million for the 9 months ended September 30, 2025. Other income consisted of interest income earned from treasury bills and our bank savings accounts driven by higher cash balances. Back to you, Seth.

Seth Grae: Thank you, Lesli. And with that, I will take questions. Thank you, everyone, for submitting your questions.

Matthew Abenante: Our first question, as postirradiation examination of the initial Lightbridge fuel samples progresses, when does the company expect to be able to disclose the first meaningful quantitative results to investors?

Seth Grae: We expect to be able to announce in the first half of 2027, the first meaningful results following post-irradiation examination of the initial batch of Lightbridge fuel test samples.

Matthew Abenante: One more question. Does management believe a utility can make a conditional commitment to host Lightbridge Fuel lead test assemblies before completion of the full ATR loop irradiation program subject to satisfactory irradiation and regulatory results or does management believe completion of that testing is likely to be necessary before a utility would make such a commitment?

Seth Grae: Yes, we believe it is possible that a utility could make a conditional commitment to host Lightbridge Fuel lead test assemblies before completion of the full advanced test reactor loop irradiation testing program. It is likely that the host utility would want to see the results of postirradiation examination of partially irradiated rodlets of Lightbridge Fuel in the ATR loop before inserting Lightbridge Fuel lead test assemblies. But we believe it is possible for the lead test assembly demonstration program to proceed in parallel with loop irradiation testing of the remaining rodlets of Lightbridge Fuel in the Advanced Test Reactor. I want to thank everyone for participating in today’s call.

We appreciate the continued support of our shareholders and dedication of our growing team and partners. We look forward to updating you on our progress in the coming quarters. In the meantime, you can reach us at [email protected]. Stay safe and well. Goodbye.

Operator: Thank you. This concludes today’s conference call. Thank you for joining. You may now disconnect.