AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA Markets TMC TMC Is About to Dive Into Deep-Seabed Mining. Is the Stock a Buy in 2026? March 11, 2026 — 09:35 am EDT Written by Reuben Gregg Brewer for The Motley Fool -> Key Points TMC The Metals Company just got some good news from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The company is still a long way from achieving its goal of deep-sea mining. 10 stocks we like better than TMC The Metals Company › The share price of TMC The Metals Company (NASDAQ: TMC) jumped on news released on March 9, 2026. The news was important to the company's goal of building a deep-seabed mining business, but it isn't the end of the process. Here's what you need to know and why investors shouldn't get too excited. NOAA said The Metals Company properly filled out the form The news from The Metals Company was that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told it that "the consolidated application submitted by the Company's subsidiary, The Metals Company USA LLC ('TMC USA'), for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) is in substantial compliance with the requirements of the Act and its implementing regulations." Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Image source: Getty Images. This is the first time a company has submitted an application, so that is very good news. It means that The Metals Company won't have to go through a back-and-forth process to get this step correct before putting it in the rearview mirror. It is a big win for the mining company . However, it is not the final step of the approval process. This is, really, just the first step. The Metals Company has a huge amount of work ahead The big takeaway is that the approval process is moving forward, which is clearly positive. However, mining is an expensive, dangerous, complicated, and time-consuming process in the best of circumstances. Given that The Metals Company is looking to operate an undersea mining operation, what it is attempting to do is even harder than building a traditional mine. This is a stock appropriate only for the most aggressive investors at this still-early stage of development. While the opportunity seems attractive, given the importance of the nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese the company hopes to produce for the world, there is still a great deal of uncertainty that needs to be cleared up, from obtaining the final regulatory green light to actually building the mining operation. The Metals Company is nowhere near sustainably profitable The big story here, however, is that The Metals Company is losing money and will likely continue to do so for a long time because of the huge costs involved in building a mining business. That's not unusual at all, given the still early stage of the business, but it should be enough to keep all but the most aggressive investors on the sidelines until The Metals Company has hit a few more development milestones. Should you buy stock in TMC The Metals Company right now? Before you buy stock in TMC The Metals Company, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and TMC The Metals Company wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $522,791 !* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,132,678 !* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 952 % — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor , and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of March 11, 2026. Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Tags Markets The Motley Fool Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA., by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company dedicated to building the world's greatest investment community. Reaching millions of people each month through its w