Lithium Argentina posts $13 million Q3 profit

Lithium Argentina (NYSE:LAR) reported third-quarter 2026 net income of US$13 million, compared with a US$64.5 million loss in the prior-year quarter, as improved lithium project results supported its return to profitability.

The company recorded earnings of US$0.08 per share, reversing a loss of US$0.40 per share a year earlier, while its Cauchari-Olaroz operation increased quarterly production by 3% sequentially to 9,550 tonnes of lithium carbonate.

Cauchari-Olaroz, in which Lithium Argentina holds a 44.8% interest, generated US$184 million in revenue and US$95 million in operating cash flow on a 100% project basis, while the company's corporate adjusted EBITDA was negative US$6.1 million.

The company ended September with US$312.3 million in cash and subsequently repurchased US$200 million of convertible notes for approximately US$198 million, leaving about US$59 million outstanding, while its shares traded at US$4.52 in premarket activity, up 1.35% from the previous close.

Lithium Argentina is also advancing Stage 2 of Cauchari-Olaroz, which targets initial production in 2028, subject to regulatory approvals in Argentina and China, with estimated capital costs of approximately US$1 billion.

Meanwhile, the company also completed its joint venture with Ganfeng for the Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes project, which targets annual production of 150,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent across three development phases, while continuing to develop its Argentine lithium portfolio.