FEAM Progresses With LCD Glass Tank Trial Commencement by Customer

5E Advanced Materials, Inc. FEAM, popularly known as 5E, recently announced that its customer, a major U.S.-based LCD glass manufacturer, has begun glass furnace testing using the first batch of its boric acid. The company had shipped 20 tons of high-quality borates in October 2025 for the customer’s final phase of testing.

In the customer’s previous laboratory bench testing program, 5E has emerged successfully, meeting stringent purity and performance requirements. Following this, a supply-chain trial was also conducted where two tons of product were shipped across the Pacific Ocean.

With both earlier tests passed, the final tank trial marks the final step, positioning FEAM toward advancing multi-year supply agreements. The initial reports from the glass furnace test have been highly positive. The LCD glass industry has some of the most rigorous standards in the borates industry, making the trial a crucial commercial de-risking milestone for the company.

The oligopoly structure of the borates market gives rise to a need for an additional reliable domestic supplier. The addition of boron to the United States Department of the Interior's 2025 Critical Minerals List, along with the designation of 5E's facility as Critical Infrastructure, highlights the company’s strategic importance.

FEAM’s shares have slumped 58.1% over the past year compared with the industry’s 10.4% decline.

FEAM’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

FEAM currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Kinross Gold Corporation KGC, Fortuna Mining Corp. FSM and Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited HMY. While KGC sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, FSM and HMY carry a Zacks Rank #2 each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s current-year earnings is pegged at $1.67 per share, indicating a surge of 145.59%. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters while missing it in one, with an average surprise of 17.37%. KGC’s shares have soared 173.3% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FSM’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at 76 cents per share, indicating a 65.22% year-over-year increase. FSM’s shares have surged 94.7% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HMY’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $2.68 per share, indicating a 111.02% year-over-year increase. HMY’s shares have soared 121.2% over the past year.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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