The FBR Ltd (ASX: FBR) share price has been a standout performer on the market today – so much so that it attracted a speeding ticket from the ASX.
FBR, also known as Fastbrick Robotics, designs, develops, builds and operates dynamically stabilised robots to address global needs. Using its proprietary technology, the company is in the process of commercialising products for the construction sector, along with technology-enabled solutions for other industries.
What's going on?
This morning, FBR was issued a 'please explain' from the ASX after shares skyrocketed from yesterday's closing price of 2.9 cents to an intra-day high of 10.5 cents – a mammoth 262% jump. The ASX also noted a significant increase in the trading volume of FBR shares.
While there was no news out of FBR today, the company made an announcement prior to market open yesterday regarding its flagship Hadrian X construction robot.
In response to the ASX's price and volume query, FBR stated it is not aware of any information that hasn't been announced to the market which could explain the recent trading in its shares.
Responding further, FBR said:
"Following FBR's announcement to the ASX on Wednesday, 3rd June 2020 that it had reached a new top laying rate of 200 blocks per hour with its Hadrian X construction robot, FBR received widespread media coverage on tv news, print and radio. The release of the announcement resulted in an increase in share price of 32% yesterday, and FBR believes that the increased media attention subsequently has contributed to the trading activities today."
Additionally, FBR drew attention to the government's HomeBuilder residential construction stimulus package which was announced prior to market open this morning.
In any case, FBR considers yesterday's announcement as a major milestone in the commercialisation journey of the Hadrian X. It was the first time the company had been able to prove the real commercial case of the Hadrian X in practice.
"When you consider that manual brick and block laying costs globally vary anywhere from $10 per square metre to $100 per square metre, we are already cost competitive across a broad range of the market at 200 blocks per hour," said CEO Mike Pivac.
At the time of writing, FBR shares are sitting 124.14% higher for the day at 6.5 cents per share. This takes the company's current market capitalisation to $116 million. For context, the FBR share price closed last week at 2.2 cents with a market cap of around $40 million.
