Clock - Uranium Supply Crunch and Critical ... - Andrew Johns

Uranium Canada Research | Page 71 of 87Takeout Potential. We believe takeout potential is high and possible acquirers can beseparated into two camps, including (i) entities that require material, such as producerswith future sales commitments, or nuclear utilities; and (ii) financial players seeking anarbitrage opportunity between the current implied price and either the spot or mediumtermmarkets.Balance Sheet Can Absorb Low Fee Structure. UPC has C$14 mln in cash andequivalents and no debt (at February 29, 2012). Our model assumes no transactions anda burn rate of C$4.3 mln/year, suggesting >3 years before additional capital is required.To us, a likely scenario is an equity issue within the next three years if UPC’s price againrises above its NAVPS (e.g., with increasing uranium prices). In-line with the fund’s bylaws,>85% of proceeds are required to be spent on increasing inventory, with theremainder available to shore up cash levels.Additional Information on the FundVitals. UPC’s objective is to achieve appreciation in the value of its holdings. Currently,UPC holds 13.42 Mlbs U3O8-equivalent (comprised of 7.25 Mlbs U3O8 and 2.37 MkgUin the form of UF6) at uranium facilities in North America and France. At current spotprices and forex, the market value for this inventory is US$690 mln (or C$698 mln), vs.an acquisition cost of US$718 mln (or C$732 mln).NAV Calculation. UPC calculates its NAV on a monthly basis by multiplying the quantityof inventoried uranium by the most recently stated month-end prices for U3O8 andUF6, as quoted by UxC. This total is converted to C$ and net assets of the company areadded. At June 30, 2012, UPC’s stated NAV was C$716.2 mln or C$6.73/share. We deriveour NAV in the same way, but apply UxC’s weekly quoted spot price for additionalaccuracy.Share Movement. Per its by-laws, UPC may issue equity to generate cash and tends todo so when its share price is above its stated NAVPS. At least 85% of proceeds must gotowards purchasing uranium. The fund may buy back shares under NCIB and tends to doso when NAVPS is above its share price. UPC can sell some or all of its holdings but has astated intention not to do so in the near-term. Common shares are not redeemable.Management Details. A veteran five-man team from Denison Mines manages the fund.The manager receives an annual fee of $1.0 mln plus 0.2% of UPC’s total assets over$200 mln. There are also fees for uranium purchases/sales (1.5% of gross value); atakeout of UPC (i.e. >90% shares acquired; fee is 1.5% of the gross value of uranium heldprior to the transaction); equity financings over $20 mln ($200k); transaction orarrangement, other than a uranium purchase/sale, over $20 mln ($200k), as well as anon-going fee for related monitoring or work associated with that transaction orarrangement ($200k/year). In 2012A, management fees totaled $1.8 mln.Fees Summary. Every year, the most significant fees are related to transactions,management (as outlined above) and storage. Remaining G&A costs are typically