Sydney, Feb 17, 2026, 17:57 (AEDT) — The session wrapped with the market now closed.
- Shares of Lynas finished Tuesday at A$15.05, down 5.5%. Volume landed near 4 million.
- Sojitz in Japan is moving to expand its rare-earth imports from Lynas, planning to include samarium starting in April as it seeks more supply options beyond China.
- Lynas is set to release its half-year results on Feb 26, with a briefing scheduled for 11 a.m. Sydney time.
Lynas Rare Earths (LYC.AX) slipped 5.5% to finish at A$15.05 in Sydney on Tuesday, trading between A$15.04 and A$15.90. Volume came in at roughly 3.95 million shares.
Investors are already looking ahead to next week’s half-year results and hoping for an update on Lynas’ plans to ramp up production outside its main portfolio. The company has set Feb. 26 as the date for its report, covering the six months through Dec. 31, with CEO Amanda Lacaze set to lead a briefing at 11 a.m. Sydney time.
Japanese demand is getting fresh scrutiny. Sojitz announced Monday it plans to ramp up rare earth imports from Lynas, bringing in samarium starting in April. The company is looking to boost the count of medium and heavy rare earths it sources from Lynas to as many as six by mid-2027.
S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.24%, but Lynas stood out as one of the day’s underperformers.
Lynas shares, despite falling on Tuesday, have managed a roughly 28% gain for 2026 to date, according to year-to-date figures.
Rare earths, a group of metals essential for high-strength magnets in electric motors and other advanced gear, remain in sharp focus. Lynas stands out as one of the major non-Chinese suppliers, and its move toward heavier, higher-value materials is drawing attention from buyers eager to secure alternative sources.
Still, earnings have proven vulnerable to hiccups on the ground. In January, Lynas pointed to power issues at its Kalgoorlie plant in Western Australia as a drag on production, and said it’s weighing off-grid solutions to shore up reliability.
Succession worries continue to linger. Lacaze has stated her intention to retire at the end of this financial year, but investors are already treating her departure as a pressing 2026 concern. Dylan Kelly from Terra Capital, a shareholder, didn’t hold back: “She’s one of the best CEOs I’ve ever come across.” Argo Investments’ Andy Forster credited her for moving the company “way ahead of any of the competition.” Reuters
Feb. 26 stands out as the next real catalyst: that’s when the half-year report and briefing drop. Traders will be chasing pricing updates, a sense of how production is holding up, and any fresh details on the rollout for products like samarium. Watch, too, for clues from customers including Sojitz.
