Varta, Nel ASA, Almonty Industries: Buying opportunities for 2022?

Almonty: Tungsten will soon be a critical metal within the EU

Things will get exciting at Almonty Industries in 2022. The Canadian-based Company specializes in mining, processing and shipping tungsten concentrate. Tungsten is indispensable for today's high-tech industry: from energy and lighting technology to aerospace, telecommunications and medical technology - it all needs the rare raw material. Yet tungsten is produced predominantly in China. Almonty Industries wants to change this. It currently produces at two mines in Portugal and Spain. There, Almonty expects increasing margins.

Almonty CEO Lewis Black comments: "Tungsten is considered a challenging element. Our mine in Portugal employs miners whose fathers and grandfathers have worked there. The mine has been in operation for 126 years. If you shut down such projects for short-term profit, you cannot reactivate them easily because you simply do not have the skilled workers. So we accepted smaller margins in the past years and thought long-term. Now it looks as if tungsten could also be declared a critical metal within the EU, whose domestic sources will be protected - precisely because of the new uses around e-cars. We, therefore, see ourselves in an excellent position with our two projects in Portugal and Spain. However, the all-important project remains Sangdong."

Almonty is currently building a new mine facility, Sangdong, in South Korea and is fully financed for this purpose. Once final permits are received, production is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022. Almonty will account for around 30% of non-Chinese tungsten production when full capacity is reached. By then, the stock is also expected to break even. Company CEO Black is confident: "We will stay on the ball operationally and wait for the fundamentals to ultimately prevail. This much is clear: tungsten is a technology metal. Almonty Industries will be mining up to 30% of global supply outside China from the end of 2022 in a climate-neutral manner and in accordance with the highest ESG standards. I have no doubt that Almonty will be a success story for all shareholders." Interested parties can find more details in a study on researchanalyst.com researchanalyst.com/en/report/almonty-industries-inc-and-the-wires-are-glowing.

Varta: When will the liberation blow come?

Varta's stock has been fun at best for traders in 2021. Amid high volatility, it ended the year where it started - at around EUR 115. As a battery specialist, the Company is active in desirable markets. Varta is the world market leader in micro-batteries for mobile devices such as Apple AirPods. The Company has been successfully fending off attacks from Asian competitors for years. Varta earns brilliantly in this area, but even the Company cannot escape the global supply chain problems. Price drivers in the coming year can only come from the new area of electromobility.

Varta announced the production of batteries for electric cars in the current year. Cooperation with a German premium manufacturer for the booster battery has also already been reported. But for the "real" battery, there is still a lack of partners. Only when there is news here can a sustained positive share price development be expected. But then it could also quickly head towards an all-time high of over EUR 170.

Nel ASA: With momentum into the new year

At the end of 2021, Nel ASA has already gathered momentum for a successful 2022. The Norwegian market leader in the hydrogen segment reported two orders just before Christmas. The subsidiary Nel Hydrogen Fueling has received a purchase order for several hydrogen fueling station modules in the USA. The modules are to be delivered in 2022 and 2023 and are valued at USD 6 million. "We are pleased to announce this new order for a US fuel supplier, which is not only a great honor but also a testament to the strength of our technology," said Eddy Nupoort, director of sales and business development in North America for Nel Hydrogen.

The second order worth around EUR 3 million comes from a new European customer. This customer has ordered an alkaline electrolyzer system from Nel. The system will be delivered in 2022, and hydrogen production will start in 2023. The Nel share is currently trading at EUR 1.60. However, in order to attack the old highs above EUR 3, more and larger orders are needed. Even after the drop in the share price over the course of the year, Nel's market capitalization still stands at an impressive EUR 2.2 billion.

The energy and mobility transition and the raw materials required will remain in the focus of stock market players in 2022. All three shares presented here are benefiting from these megatrends. Despite the decline, Nel ASA still has the most imagination in its share price. If Varta introduces new partners from the automotive sector, the share should have room to run. The closer Almonty gets to the start of production in Sangdong, the more exciting the share should become.