Resources Top 5: Gold diversification puts light at the end of tunnel for Uvre

Uvre’s deal to acquire Norm Seckold’s Kiwi gold assets has made it one of the winners in ASX resources stocks on Monday.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel for Uvre which is purchasing gold prospects in New Zealand. Pic: Vicki Smith/Getty Images

• Uranium and lithium explorer Uvre is diversifying into gold

• Xanadu Mines has soared after fielding an off-market takeover offer from Bastion Mining

• Brightstar has upgraded gold resources at key deposits in the Laverton and Menzies hub

Your standout resources stocks for Monday, May 19, 2025

Uvre (ASX:UVA)

With a shift in focus to gold at a time of strong prices, uranium and lithium explorer Uvre has been a strong mover, rising as much as 22.35% to 11.5c.

This comes after the company signed a binding agreement to acquire 100% of Minerals Exploration and its wholly-owned subsidiary Otagold, which holds a portfolio of five exploration and prospecting permits in New Zealand.

The acquisition is subject to completion of several conditions, including due diligence on MEL and Otagold and the permits held by Otagold.

It is also contingent on Uvre (ASX:UVA) raising at least $4m in a single tranche share placement at 8c per share, managed by Bell Potter Securities.

UVA has secured firm commitments for its equity raise following a strongly supported bookbuild, with incoming directors Norman Seckold and Peter Nightingale – both major shareholders of MEL – committing $500,000 and $100,000 respectively, pending shareholder approval.

As full consideration, Uvre will issue 75m fully paid ordinary shares at 8c per share, valuing the transaction at $6m.

Seckold was previously chairman of New Zealand gold developer Santana Minerals (ASX:SMI) and is currently chairman of Alpha HPA (ASX:A4N), Nickel Industries (ASX:NIC), Fulcrum Lithium (ASX:FUL) and Sky Metals (ASX:SKY).

Otagold controls a strategic landholding with 100% ownership of five permits and applications covering 332km2 of highly prospective ground.

Its flagship asset is the Waitekauri gold project, roughly 8km west of OceanaGold Corp’s 10Moz Waihi gold mine on New Zealand’s North Island.

UVA executive chairman Brett Mitchell said this transaction was an exceptional opportunity for Uvre on several levels.

“Norm and Peter will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in the resources business, along with a track record of creating substantial shareholder value through resource asset exploration and project development,” he said.

“The Otagold projects led by Waitekauri have compelling gold exploration upside in a tier-one jurisdiction, as shown by the extensive mineralisation and drilling targets already identified.

“The combination of Norman’s well-known record in building successful mining projects combined with the talented Uvre team, the immense exploration upside at these projects and the strong financial position which will follow the placement will leave Uvre very well-placed to create significant value."

UVA will be targeting bonanza style gold-silver low sulphidation veins with the objective to identify a multi-million-ounce resource.

An eight-hole drill program has been designed with landowner compensation agreement completed and significant potential identified at depth and along strike.

UVA shares settled at 10c, up 6.4%, but well above the 8c issue price of the raising and deal.

Xanadu Mines (ASX:XAM)

ASX and TSX listed Mongolian copper-gold explorer Xanadu Mines has soared 55% to 7.9c on volume of more than 74m after fielding an off-market takeover offer from Bastion Mining Pte Ltd.

A Bid Implementation Agreement has been entered by the parties and this comes after the offer was recommended unanimously by an XAM Takeover Board Committee.

Bastion represents a consortium of Boroo Pte Ltd, a private Singapore-incorporated entity which invests in major gold projects internationally, and Xanadu director Ganbayar Lkhagvasuren.

The offer price of A$0.08 cash per share represents a 57% premium to Xanadu’s closing price of 5.1c on May 16, 2025, and 62% to its 10-day volume weighted average price of 4.9c up to and  including May 16.

This offer implies a total equity value for Xanadu of A$160m, excluding the proposed share issue to Bastion.

Bastion will subscribe for 286,829,633 shares in Xanadu at A$0.06 per share, representing an initial investment of A$17.2 million to fund the company’s share of joint venture cash calls, working capital and associated corporate costs during the offer period.

Boroo’s key assets include Lagunas Norte, a producing gold mine in Peru and a portfolio of development-stage projects in South America. 

Xanadu Mines (ASX:XAM) has a suite of Mongolian exploration plays with the most advanced being the global-scale Kharmagtai copper-gold project held with 50-50 JV partner Zijin Mining Group.

The Takeover Board Committee, together with XAM’s legal and financial advisers, recommend that shareholders accept the offer in the absence of a superior proposal and subject to the Independent Expert concluding (and continuing to conclude) that the offer is fair and reasonable.

“The proposed acquisition of Xanadu by Bastion is aligned with the company’s strategy of generating returns for shareholders and also providing a liquidity event,” Xanadu executive chairman and managing director Colin Moorhead said.

“Bastion’s offer provides Xanadu shareholders with an attractive premium, which recognises the company’s inherent value and considerable achievements in progressing the Kharmagtai copper-gold project,” he said. 

“Together with my partners at Boroo, I am pleased to be making this supported offer to Xanadu shareholders,” said Ganbayar Lkhagvasuren, on behalf of Bastion. 

“The Bastion offer provides Xanadu shareholders with the certainty of cash at a significant premium to Xanadu’s share price, against a market backdrop of considerable uncertainty. “Bastion is ideally positioned to advance Kharmagtai to the next stage of development with the benefit of Boroo’s experience in acquiring, financing and developing mining operations in Mongolia.”

CAAF Ltd, Xanadu’s largest independent shareholder which holds a relevant interest in the company of 11.85%, has stated its intention to accept the offer.

Bastion has agreed that once it acquires a relevant interest in at least 50.1% of the shares in Xanadu it will declare the offer unconditional.

Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR)

Upgraded resources at key deposits within the Laverton and Menzies hubs of Brightstar Resources in WA’s Goldfields have seen shares push 7.98% higher to 74.5c.

They later settled up 2.2%.

The resource estimates come ahead of a definitive feasibility study and are set to underpin future mining operations.

The most noteworthy upgrades are a 34% increase in total measured and indicated resources at the Lord Byron deposit to 251,000oz at 1.5g/t gold along with a 25% increase in resource grade at the Lady Shenton system to 273,000oz at 1.5/t gold.

Cork Tree Well has also seen total indicated ounces increase 6% to 292,000oz at 1.4g/t gold while total resources at Fish deposit have increased 22% to 49,000oz at 4g/t gold.

Resource grade at the Second Fortune underground mine increased 23% to 40,000oz at 13.4g/t gold while the Link Zone deposit has seen total resources upgraded 38% to 29,000oz at 1g/t gold.

Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) managing director Alex Rovira said the 2024 drilling was aimed at preparing the deposits for near-term development and dependable, deliverable mining operations.

“The infill drilling, both RC and DD, has provided increased confidence across the deposits and reduced geological risks for future mining, which will be crucial as Brightstar looks to progress the deposits toward production,” he said.

“This update features Brightstar’s first resource estimates for several of the recently acquired deposits across the portfolio. 

“It is therefore particularly encouraging to see these results, which include increases in head-grade and measured & Iindicated classification, considering the utilisation of Brightstar’s robust in-house mining-focused estimation parameters.”

The company already has more than 1Moz of gold in high confidence measured and indicated resources with +300,000oz in producing or near-term deposits such as Second Fortune, Fish and Lord Byron at Laverton as well as Lady Shenton and Link Zone at Menzies.

Resource Mining Corporation (ASX:RMI)

A steady mover has been Resource Mining Corporation with an exploration and development update for the Mpanda copper-gold project being the catalyst for another 22% increase to 2.8c.

After a positive update from the Tanzanian project on May 13, shares have climbed from 0.6c and this prompted a price and volume query from the ASX.

Previous results from the project have returned impressive gold and copper grades from rock samples up to 36.7g/t gold and 11.89g/t copper from Kabungu and 13.58% copper and 3.24g/t gold from Stalike.

Analysis of copper-gold auger and soil samples is progressing focused on Stalike and Kabungu prospects.

Multiple small-scale mines form a northwest-southeast trend which combined with soil geochemistry and rock and drilling results, extends more than 40km.

Ten prospects make up the Mpanda Project and the company believes results to date provide an  indicator of the presence of an extensive mineralised system.

There have been 16 rock chip samples from small-scale mines gathered within RMC’s tenements with five samples exceeding 11g/t gold and two exceeding 10% copper from the Kabungu prospect.

As well as ongoing exploration, RMC is assessing near-term production opportunities at Stalike and Kabungu by utilising nearby existing third-party processing infrastructure.

“Renewed investor interest in RMC in the past week has been very encouraging following our recent update of ongoing exploration activities,” executive chairman Asimwe Kabunga said.

“These works are ongoing and will help form the basis for a more structured and targeted low-cost drill program that we can execute in the near-term once we complete the current sampling program. 

“As well as our exploration activities, given the extensive small-scale workings located across our Stalike and Kabungu projects where local miners have exploited the near-surface material, RMC is uniquely positioned to accelerate development of its own mineral production operations without extensive capex.”

Raiden Resources (ASX:RDN)

Investors have shown their approval of initial assay results from ongoing 2025 Phase 2 diamond drilling program on the Vuzel Gold Project of Raiden Resources in south-eastern Bulgaria, with shares 75% higher at 0.7c.

All eight Phase 2 holes at Vuzel hit near-surface gold and significant intersections include:

• 24.8m at 1.96g/t gold from 0m, including 13.3m at 3.40g/t from 0m;
• 56m at 1.09g/t Au from 0m, including 8m at 1.50g/t from 7m and 8.3m at 4.94g/t from 47.7m; and
• 47.5m at 0.53g/t Au from 2.5m.

Results indicate that Vuzel may host an extensive, near-surface mineralised gold system with a high-grade component.

“I am pleased to report that all assay results received to date from the second phase of the Vuzel drilling campaign have confirmed significant gold mineralisation, extending over a meaningful strike length and width,” managing director Dusko Ljubojevic said. 

“These results build on the strong foundation of our maiden drilling program, which also intersected gold mineralisation in every hole.

“Importantly, this phase has delivered high-grade intercepts and has significantly improved our understanding of the controlling structures that acted as conduits for fluid emplacement. 

“This growing geological insight is expected to enable more precise targeting of high-grade zones in future drilling.

“We believe that recent transactions in the region support management’s view that discoveries in the district hold the potential for significant value generation for shareholders.” 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent financial advice before making any financial decisions. While Uvre and Brightstar Resources are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.

Originally published as Resources Top 5: Gold diversification puts light at the end of tunnel for Uvre