Why Shares of USA Rare Earth Are Plunging Today

Key Points

• USA Rare Earth expects to start operations at its rare-earth-magnet production facility in Q1 2026.

• Reuters reported that Vulcan Elements and ReElements signed a rare earth supply deal.

• Investors shouldn't immediately sell USA Rare Earth stock, but they should be mindful of future deals among peers.

• 10 stocks we like better than USA Rare Earth ›

Starting the week on a sour note, USA Rare Earth (NASDAQ: USAR) stock closed 8.7% lower yesterday than where it had closed on Friday. The stock's slide is poised to continue today. While the company had nothing to report, a rare-earth peer had an announcement that has USA Rare Earth investors rattled.

As of 12:12 p.m. ET, shares of USA Rare Earth are down 9%, paring back an earlier loss of 10.2%.

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News of a peer's magnet deal has USA Rare Earth investors repelled

Rare-earth-magnet producer Vulcan Elements signed a supply contract with ReElement for rare-earth oxides in mid-July, according to Reuters. While the companies refrained from providing specifics, they acknowledged that the pricing is "significantly below" the $110-per-kilogram floor that the U.S. Department of Defense ensured MP Materials (NYSE: MP).

Over the past three months, shares of USA Rare Earth have soared more than 45% (as of this writing) on the growing interest in U.S.-based rare-earth production and the enthusiasm about USA Rare Earth's magnet production facility in Oklahoma, which is is scheduled to begin operations in Q1 2026. With considerable expectations baked into the stock price of USA Rare Earth, investors are disappointed that Vulcan Elements is stealing the spotlight today.

Plus, investors may fear that the pricing terms that Vulcan Elements and ReElements agreed upon may not bode well for USA Rare Earth.

What's a USA Rare Earth investor to do now?

With rare-earth elements playing a vital role in so many of the technologies now critical to the defense industry and others, the demand for rare-earth magnets will remain strong for the foreseeable future, and there is sure to be more than one winner among producers of rare-earth magnets. At this point, investors should stay the course, but if USA Rare Earth fails to ink agreements while its competitors do, that may indicate that it's time to reevaluate.

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Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends MP Materials. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.