Ms King said the reserve would "help attract further investment and help the sector deal with potential future market disruptions".

Give these stocks a once over

I've had a look at some of the players in the antimony field, which might be worth a look now that the government will be intervening in a positive way in the sector.

One company that issued a press release on Thursday welcoming the new strategic reserve is Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd (ASX: SX2).

As the company said in their release, their Sunday Creek project was well-placed to be a supplier:

The company welcomes this landmark initiative which recognizes the strategic importance of securing domestic antimony supply for Australia and its allies. Sunday Creek, located just 60km north of Melbourne in Victoria, represents one of the most significant undeveloped gold-antimony deposits in the Western world and stands ready to support Australia's critical minerals security objectives.

The company said construction had started on an exploration decline at the project, and Chief Executive Officer Michael Hudson was touting Victoria's historical strength in the sector.

Victoria has always been Australia's antimony state. Antimony has historically been Victoria's second most important metal after gold, with a heritage stretching back to the 1860s. During World War I, central Victoria's Costerfield mines were critical suppliers of antimony for British munitions. Today, Victoria remains Australia's only antimony-producing state.  

Another company with a well-timed release out on Wednesday was Resolution Minerals Ltd (ASX: RML), which reported new high-grade antimony and silver samples from its Antimony Ridge project, albeit in the US in this case.

These samples were taken from within historically-mined areas at the project, and the company said the results "reinforce the potential for Antimony Ridge to host a high-grade, strategically significant U.S antimony system''.  

New South Wales focus

Back home in Australia, and Larvotto Resources Ltd (ASX: LRV) is aiming to bring its Hillgrove gold and antimony project in New South Wales into production this year.

It's a substantial project, as the company says on its website:

Hillgrove is poised to become Australia's largest producer of antimony, expected to produce 7% of global antimony requirements when global supply is tightening and Western governments are prioritising strategic supply chains. Hillgrove has been mined for antimony and gold since 1857. With a rich history within the region, Hillgrove continues to provide residential employment opportunities and support for local business and communities.

And finally, Black Cat Syndicate Ltd (ASX: BC8) announced in October that new drilling had found visible antimony in the first four holes drilled at its Mt Clement project, which it said is "one of Australia's largest and highest-grade antimony projects'' with a resource of 13,200 tonnes at a grade of 1.7%.

The company at the time said it had appointed a manager to drive the project faster, "given the strong demand and pricing for antimony''.

The post The government is looking to stockpile antimony – these four companies can help you gain exposure appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in Larvotto hit a new record high earlier this month when USAC unveiled its bid, which was offering six of its shares for every 100 Larvotto shares. USAC said at the time this equated to $1.40 per Larvotto share.

Larvotto shares hit a high of $1.44 on the news but have been trending downwards in recent sessions, closing Friday's trade at $1.16.

Bid is way too low

The Australian company stated in a release to the ASX on Monday that its board had considered the USAC bid and recommended that shareholders reject it.

The company said in its statement:

After considering the offer in detail and taking into account the advice of our independent advisers, Larvotto's board of directors unanimously formed the view that the offer materially undervalues Larvotto and has informed USAC accordingly.

The board said USAC shares had fallen since the bid was announced, and as of Friday last week, the bid value had fallen to about $1.11 per Larvotto share.

New mine the focus

Larvotto said it remained focused on progressing its Hillgrove antimony and gold project, which was on track for first production in 2026.

The company released a definitive feasibility study for the Hillgrove project in New South Wales earlier this year, which indicated it would produce about 7% of the world's antimony requirements once it was up and running.

Larvotto chair Mark Tomlinson said on Monday that the board was confident "that Larvotto's intrinsic value and long-term growth potential significantly exceed the indicative value implied by the offer''.

He went on to say:

Hillgrove is a high-grade, near-term production project and is now fully funded following recent debt and equity initiatives undertaken by Larvotto. Hillgrove also has substantial exploration upside with the potential to extend mine life and generate strong revenues for many years to come.

Mr Tomlinson said the project would pay back its capital cost "within months of first production, positioning Larvotto to deliver sustained profitability and long-term value for our shareholders''.

USAC said in its statement when launching the takeover bid earlier this month that there were "exceptionally strong" strategic and financial benefits in bringing the two companies together.

USAC was intending to set up a listing of its shares on the ASX to allow Larvotto shareholders to continue to trade their stock once the takeover was complete.

The post Antimony and gold mine developer rejects low-ball takeover bid appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)

The DroneShield share price is up 2% to $4.68. This follows the release of the counter-drone technology company's quarterly update. DroneShield reported a 1,091% increase in revenue to $92.9 million for the third quarter of FY 2025. This was a record quarter of revenue for DroneShield and more than double its previous record. Another positive was that its committed revenue for 2025 is now $193.1 million. This compares to the $57 million of revenue it recorded for the whole of 2024.

Larvotto Resources Ltd (ASX: LRV)

The Larvotto Resources share price is up 8% to $1.34. This has been driven by news that the gold and antimony company has received a non-binding indicative takeover offer from the United States Antimony Corporation (USAC). It has offered a fixed exchange ratio of 6 USAC common stock shares for every 100 Larvotto shares. The company has not made a decision on the offer at this stage. It said: "The Board of Larvotto has appointed Barrenjoey Capital Partners and Allion Partners as financial and legal advisers to help them consider the Indicative Offer. The Board will carefully consider the Indicative Offer and provide shareholders with their advice in due course."

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU)

The Neuren Pharmaceuticals share price is up 8% to $22.38. The catalyst for this is news that the US FDA has granted fast track designation for its NNZ-2591 treatment in Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), along with Angelman and Pitt Hopkins syndromes. Neuren's CEO, Jon Pilcher, said: "As we approach Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Awareness Day on 22 October, we are very pleased to announce Fast Track designation for our NNZ-2591 program. Neuren's Koala trial is the first ever Phase 3 clinical trial for PMS, which we hope may lead to a much-needed treatment for this community."

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

The Zip Co share price is up 4% to $4.60. Investors have been buying this buy now pay later provider's shares following the release of its quarterly update. For the three months ended 30 September, Zip reported a 38.7% increase in total transaction volume (TTV) to $3.9 billion. A key driver of this was a 51% jump in US TTV to approximately $2.9 billion. In addition, Zip announced an increase to its share buyback limit from $50 million to $100 million. CEO Cynthia Scott said: "The increase in our on-market share buy-back limit from $50m to $100m is consistent with our capital management framework which guides our approach to maximising shareholder returns, while preserving balance sheet strength and the flexibility to pursue attractive growth opportunities."

The post Why DroneShield, Larvotto, Neuren, and Zip shares are rising today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Larvotto shares reached an early high of $1.44 per share, before settling back to be changing hands for $1.35, up 9.3%, in early trade.

The Australian company, which was valued at $640.3 million at the close of trade on Friday, is progressing its Hillgrove project in New South Wales, where it recently announced new high-grade drilling results.

The company also has a copper, gold, and cobalt project at Mt Isa in Queensland and a multi-metals and lithium project near Norseman in Western Australia.

Non-cash bid worth $1.40

United States Antimony Corp (NYSEMKT: UAMY) is offering six of its shares for every 100 Larvotto shares, which it says equates to $1.40 per Larvotto share.

The US company recently emerged as a significant shareholder in Larvotto, having bought up a 10% stake.

Larvotto's board said on Monday morning there was no certainty a deal would be done at this stage.

As the board told the ASX:

The indicative offer is subject to a number of conditions and there is no certainty that the indicative offer will ultimately result in a binding proposal that the board of Larvotto is willing to recommend to its shareholders.

USAC said in its own statement that it "is the world's first fully integrated antimony company with mining assets, mid-stream operations, and downstream refining''.

The company said there were "exceptionally strong" strategic and financial benefits in bringing the two companies together, and it was particularly keen on Larvotto's Hillgrove project.

Australia is treated as a domestic source of mineral supply under the U.S. Defense Production Act, which strengthens the policy rationale for this transaction. Hillgrove can provide near-term antimony concentrate or feedstock to USAC's processing operations. This creates an immediate path for additional margin enhancement and to incremental refined products, reduces more expensive third-party feed dependence, and shortens time to revenue from new mine supply.

Historic mine getting a new life

Larvotto's Hillgrove project has been mined for antimony and gold since 1857, and the company is still working towards making a final investment decision to go ahead with the project.

The company earlier this month said it had contracted a company to design and build the processing plant upgrade at Hillgrove, and it expected commissioning to start in the third quarter of 2026.

The company said at the time it expected to become the world's next major antimony miner, producing 7% of global supply, once Hillgrove was up and running.

USAC will set up a listing of its shares on the ASX to allow Larvotto shareholders to continue to trade their stock once the takeover is complete.

The post This antimony and gold stock is hitting record highs on takeover talks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:

Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD)

The Elders share price is down 3% to $7.11. This follows the release of a trading update this morning which appears to have fallen short of the market's expectations. Commenting on its performance, managing director and CEO, Mark Allison, said: "Elders noted negative impacts from dry conditions to our Retail business, most pronounced in South Australia and Western Victoria. These impacts continued through April and May as drought conditions persisted." And while trading conditions improved in the fourth quarter, this was not enough to offset the impact from challenging conditions in the third quarter. This offset news that the ACCC has approved the acquisition of Delta Agribusiness.

Larvotto Resources Ltd (ASX: LRV)

The Larvotto Resources share price is down 3% to 82.5 cents. This morning, this gold explorer released drilling results from the Hillgrove Antimony-Gold Project in New South Wales. While the market wasn't overly impressed, Larvotto's managing director, Ron Heeks, was pleased with them. He said: "It is very encouraging to see our drilling program at Eleanora-Garibaldi continuing to produce high-grade drill results. Ongoing drilling is set to generate consistent news flow and strong momentum through the remainder of 2025."

PYC Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: PYC)

The PYC Therapeutics share price is down 3% to $1.17. This is despite the biotechnology company releasing an update this morning. PYC revealed that the Safety Review Committee (SRC), which is monitoring the single ascending dose (SAD) study of PYC-001, has reviewed the 4-week safety/tolerability data for the third and final patient cohort. The good news is that it has confirmed that there are no safety concerns in any of the three doses assessed in this study. As a result, the company is now preparing to progress into a global Multiple Ascending Dose (MAD) study. PYC-001 aims to treat a blinding eye disease called Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA). It affects 1 in every 35,000 people and there are currently no approved treatment options.

Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL)

The Regis Resources share price is down 3% to $6.06. This may have been driven by profit taking from some investors after strong gains this year. For example, despite today's weakness, this gold miner's shares are up 130% since the start of the year thanks to the booming gold price.

The post Why Elders, Larvotto, PYC, and Regis Resources shares are falling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The A2 Milk Company share price is down 3% to $8.68. This has been driven by the infant formula company's shares going ex-dividend on Thursday. Last month, the company released its full year results and declared a final fully franked dividend of 11.5 New Zealand cents per share. This will be paid to eligible shareholders early next month on 3 October.

Larvotto Resources Ltd (ASX: LRV)

The Larvotto Resources share price is down 3% to 64 cents. This is despite the gold-antimony developer announcing the commencement of construction activities at its 100%-owned Hillgrove Antimony-Gold Project in New South Wales. Larvotto advised that MACA-Interquip-Mintrex (MIQM), has been awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) role for the processing plant upgrade. Managing director, Ron Heeks, commented: "Partnering with MACA-Interquip-Mintrex is a critical step in ensuring the Hillgrove upgrade is delivered correctly, safely and on time. The construction program will carry us through to mid-2026, culminating in commissioning and the restart of production."

Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)

The Magellan share price is down almost 5% to $10.02. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) this morning. According to the note, the broker has downgraded the fund manager's shares to an underperform rating with an $8.65 price target. It said: "We see downside risks to cons, with our FY26E EPS 7% below due to lower associate profits, higher sub-advisory fees and lower distribution income. We also see risks to accelerated net outflows due to the Infrastructure PM's departure, fund rating reviews and poor relative fund performance."

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

The Santos share price is down almost 12% to $6.76. This follows the shock news that its proposed takeover by the XRG Consortium has collapsed. It stated: "On 15 September 2025 the Santos Board advised the XRG Consortium that Santos expected to enter into an SIA at the agreed offer price of US$5.626 if a binding proposal was received from the XRG Consortium on acceptable terms on or prior to 19 September 2025. In response the XRG Consortium notified the Santos Board yesterday evening of its decision to withdraw its Indicative Proposal and not proceed with the Potential Transaction."

The post Why A2 Milk, Larvotto, Magellan, and Santos shares are dropping today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)

The DroneShield share price is up 17% to $3.70. Investors have been buying this counter drone technology company's shares since the release of its second quarter update on Wednesday. In addition, this morning, Bell Potter upgraded DroneShield's shares to a buy rating with a $3.80 price target. It said: "DRO is well positioned to continue its strong performance having secured $176.3m in revenue for delivery in CY25 at 22-Jul-25, which represents ~90% of our full-year forecast ($195.4m), and a cash balance of $192m at 24-Jul-25. The company has identified a robust sales pipeline of $2.3b, with the majority of opportunities relating to Europe (43%) and the US (29%)."

Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS)

The EOS share price is up 7% to $3.26. The catalyst for this has been the release of the defence and space company's second quarter update. EOS reported receipts from customers of $78.1 million for the three months. This is $55.5 million higher than the first quarter of FY 2025 and was largely driven by the finalisation of a contract with a customer in the Middle East. Management also revealed that its contract backlog was $170 million at the end of June. This is a $34 million or 25% increase since the end of December.

Larvotto Resources Ltd (ASX: LRV)

The Larvotto Resources share price is up 4.5% to 80.5 cents. This morning, this gold developer revealed that a final investment decision (FID) has been reached, which paves the way for the development of the Hillgrove Antimony-Gold Project in New South Wales. Managing Director Ron Heeks commented: "Approving this FID represents a landmark moment in the development of our Hillgrove Project. […] Larvotto is proud to be playing an important role in growing Australia's critical minerals sector by developing Hillgrove, which is expected to be the only new source of antimony to come online outside of China within the next four years."

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

The Life360 share price is up 3% to $40.12. Investors have been buying this location technology company's shares despite there being no news out of it. However, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq index expected to jump on Wall Street on Friday after impressive results from a number of tech giants, it seems that investors are getting ahead of the curve on the local market on Thursday.

The post Why DroneShield, EOS, Larvotto, and Life360 shares are racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

That was slightly weaker than the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) but still an impressive result.

The ASX 200 increased by 9.97% and provided total returns of 13.81%, according to S&P Global data.

The ASX All Ords represents the 500 largest listed companies in Australia by market capitalisation.

Among them, eight companies saw their share prices triple over the financial year.

Let's check them out.

The 8 triple-baggers of the ASX All Ords in FY25

For a stock to triple its value, it needs more than 200% share price growth. These eight ASX All Ords shares achieved just that.

1. Larvotto Resources Ltd (ASX: LRV)

ASX All Ords gold and antimony mining share Larvotto shot the lights out in FY25 with a stunning 479% share price growth.

The stock finished the year at 69.5 cents apiece.

Larvotto says its Hillgrove gold and antimony project in NSW is Australia's largest antimony deposit and the eighth largest in the world.

Antimony is a critical metal used in the production of military applications and solar panels.

2. Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL)

Shares of ASX All Ords gold explorer Catalyst Metals rose by an astounding 362% to close at $5.22 apiece on 30 June.

Catalyst benefited from strong growth in the gold price, with the commodity rising to a record US$3,500.05 per ounce on 22 April.

3. Meeka Metals Ltd (ASX: MEK)

Another ASX All Ords gold share, Meeka Metals, leapt 333% to close out the year at 14.5 cents per share.

Meeka Metals is a junior gold and rare earths exploration company with a portfolio of projects across Western Australia.

4. Titomic Ltd (ASX: TTT)

Titomic is benefiting from the rising global defence investment theme, with its shares lifting 311% to 30 cents in FY25.

The company offers industrial-scale metal additive manufacturing solutions using its patented kinetic fusion cold spray technology.

The cold spray is used in the development and production of products for the aerospace, defence, and shipbuilding industries.

5. Elsight Ltd (ASX: ELS)

This ASX All Ords tech stock lifted 290% to close at $1.775 on 30 June.

Elsight develops communications technology for unmanned, autonomous systems used in defence, public safety, and commercial sectors.

6. Canyon Resources Ltd (ASX: CAY)

This ASX All Ords materials share rose 236% to close at 24.5 cents on 30 June.

Canyon Resources is a mineral exploration company specialising in high-grade bauxite resources for the global aluminium market.

7. Orthocell Ltd (ASX: OCC)

ASX All Ords healthcare share, Orthocell, rose by 231% to $1.175 on 30 June.

Orthocell is a regenerative biotech that develops therapies to repair soft tissue injuries and regenerate nerve and tendon tissue.

8. Catapult Group International Ltd (ASX: CAT)

This ASX All Ords tech share soared 210% to close at $5.86 per share on 30 June.

Catapult is a global sports data and analytics company.

It provides professional sporting teams with detailed real-time data to optimise athletes' performances. 

The post 8 ASX All Ords shares that tripled in value in FY25 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

How happy?

Well, 12 months ago, you could have picked up Larvotto shares for 7 cents apiece. Today, those same shares are changing hands for 68 cents each, up a blistering 864.3% in a year. That would have turned a $5,000 investment in February 2024 into $48,215 today.

The ASX mining stock is focused on developing its dual-commodity Hillgrove gold and antimony project, located in New South Wales. According to Larvotto, Hillgrove contains Australia's largest antimony deposit and the eighth largest in the world.

Here's why that's important.

ASX mining stock riding antimony to the moon

According to a 3 February Fawkes Capital Management special report on the metal, antimony is a critical metal in various military applications and in solar panels.

And with Larvotto's Hillgrove project, the soaring ASX mining stock appears to be in a sweet spot.

According to Fawkes Capital:

We believe that this metal is currently at the centre of one of the largest supply-demand imbalances in recent history – a shift that rivals some of the most dramatic commodity price movements we've ever seen

On the supply side, China banned the export of antimony to the United States in December. The Middle Kingdom is responsible for around half the global production of antimony ore and about 80% of the world's refined antimony.

Russia counts as the second largest producer of antimony, and amid its war with Ukraine, Russia has stopped exporting antimony to Western nations.

On the demand side, Fawkes Capital said demand for antimony from solar panels is surging. The metal is also seeing more demand from increased military spending, and greater demand from its use in battery storage technology.

"Prices have already begun to react, surging to around US$36,000 per ton," Fawkes Capital said.

But that could be just the beginning of the good news for the surging ASX mining stock.

"We believe there is strong historical precedent to suggest that antimony prices could reach at least US$100,000 per ton," the fund manager said.

Enter Larvotto Resources

Pointing to the strong growth potential of the ASX mining stock, Fawkes Capital Management said, "Larvotto Resources, with its recently acquired Hillgrove project near Armidale, Australia, offers a unique opportunity to invest in a pure-play antimony producer."

According to the fund manager:

The area near Armidale has been mined for more than a century and the major mining areas have been drilled extensively. Historically, sustainable antimony mining was uneconomical due to oversupply from China.

However, when the mine was previously in operation, the grades of antimony ore were very high, around 2.5% per ton of Sb (for comparison, many economic antimony deposits average below 1% Sb).

And Fawkes Capital believes the ASX mining stock could produce up to 10% of world's antimony supply for the next four years. Which could see the Larvotto share price continue to race ahead.

Fawkes Capital concluded:

With prices projected to remain strong during this period, we expect the project to generate significant free cash flow, far exceeding the company's current market capitalisation.

Importantly, Larvotto does not need to refine the ore into ingots; it can export the concentrate directly to refineries in Mexico and the US, streamlining operations and reducing costs.

The post Up 864% in a year, how this ASX mining stock is primed to keep rocketing in 2025 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.