ASX stocks cruising near 52 Week high

From rare earths to silver, these ASX players are in the spotlight as they are rallying towards 52-week highs fuelled by big milestones and surging global demand.

Astron Corporation Limited (ASX: ATR) 

is currently trading near its 52-week highs mainly because of its positive results and solid progress at the Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project in Victoria. 
The company recorded a net profit after tax of about A$19.1 million which is a big comeback from the A$24.8 million loss it had in FY24. 

A major deal worth A$183 million with U.S. critical minerals firm Energy Fuels has helped strengthen Astron’s balance sheet and provided funds needed for the project development.
The Donald Project has a pre-tax NPV of around A$837 million and IRR of 22.1% and is expected to bring in nearly A$12.1 billion in revenue and A$4.9 billion in EBITDA over its 42 year life span. 
With all final approvals done and the move to Australia completed, Astron now stands in a strong position in the global rare earth supply chain.

Ionic Rare Earths Limited (ASX: IXR) 

has had a great year, helped by few big milestones that put it in front of the global rare earth supply chain outside China. 
The company’s Belfast based branch, Ionic Technologies, finished a feasibility study showing a post-tax NPV of about US$502 million, IRR of 43.6% and lifetime EBITDA close to US$1.78 billion. The facility will recycle end of life magnets into high purity rare earth oxides. 

It also got £11 million funding from the UK government under the “CirculaREEconomy” program to build a local rare earth magnet supply chain, out of which Ionic’s share is around £3.1 million.
The company posted a total loss of A$10.65 million for FY25, which is much better than the A$21.33 million loss in FY24, showing clear improvement year on year.

 On the global side, IXR’s joint venture in Brazil called Viridion delivered its first batch of locally recycled magnet rare earth oxides, while its U.S. expansion is also moving ahead.
 With tie ups across Europe, Asia and South America and a growing Makuutu Heavy Rare Earths Project in Uganda, Ionic Rare Earths is now seen as one of the main players in sustainable circular rare earth production.

Sun Silver Limited (ASX: SS1) 

is moving ahead with its Maverick Springs Silver-Gold Project in Nevada which is one of the biggest pre-production silver projects listed on the ASX. 
The site holds around 296.5 million ounces of silver and 2.16 million ounces of gold under JORC Inferred Resources. 
Following a new re-assay program using modern four-acid digest methods, the silver grades went up by nearly 25%, showing that earlier results might have undervalued the resource. Recent tests also found antimony levels reaching up to 7.8% Sb, which could help the company tap into rising U.S. demand for critical minerals.
Sun Silver posted a smaller loss of about A$1.16 million for the half-year ending June 2025 and It also had a healthy balance sheet million giving it a strong position to continue funding exploration work.
The company also sent a White Paper to the U.S. Department of Defence, showing that Maverick Springs could be a safe local source of antimony which is a move that might open doors for future U.S. government backing and major funding opportunities for project growth.

Source: Company Announcement