Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Albemarle from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a generally favorable analyst backdrop despite the broader consensus still sitting at “hold.”
• Multiple firms raised price targets recently, including Wells Fargo, RBC, Robert W. Baird, and BMO, while Citigroup also lifted its target to $225, signaling improving sentiment on the stock.
• Albemarle beat Q1 expectations with EPS of $2.95 versus $1.24 expected and revenue of $1.43 billion above estimates, helped by stronger lithium pricing and volumes.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

ALB has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $210.00 to $236.00 in a report on Thursday. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut shares of Albemarle from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $188.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $145.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $189.04.

Albemarle Stock Up 2.7%

Albemarle stock opened at $203.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.74, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company's 50-day moving average price is $179.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.41. Albemarle has a 52 week low of $53.70 and a 52 week high of $221.00.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $1.71. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 5.00% and a positive return on equity of 5.22%. Albemarle's quarterly revenue was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Albemarle will post 8.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $2,012,654.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,995,808.68. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albemarle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALB. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Albemarle in the third quarter worth approximately $138,723,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $165,271,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. acquired a new position in Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $130,415,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Albemarle by 4,338.5% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 738,430 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $104,444,000 after buying an additional 721,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Albemarle by 22,047.4% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 713,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $44,613,000 after buying an additional 710,589 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Albemarle

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on Albemarle to $225 from $210, suggesting further upside potential even though the rating remained neutral. Benzinga report on Citigroup target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts increased price targets this week, including Wells Fargo, Robert W. Baird, and Mizuho, signaling improving sentiment toward Albemarle’s outlook. Tickerreport.com
• Positive Sentiment: Albemarle beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $2.95 versus $1.24 expected, while revenue also topped forecasts, driven by stronger lithium pricing and volumes. Zacks value-stock article
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage around the earnings call highlighted strong momentum, reinforcing the view that Albemarle’s operating trends improved meaningfully in the quarter. TipRanks earnings call summary
• Neutral Sentiment: One article compared Albemarle with LyondellBasell from a value-investing perspective, but it was more of a relative valuation discussion than a direct catalyst. Zacks comparison article

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation is a leading global specialty chemicals company primarily engaged in the production and distribution of lithium, bromine, and catalysts. Its lithium segment supplies key components used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid storage systems. The company's bromine specialty products serve a wide range of industries, including oil and gas drilling fluids, fire safety solutions, and water treatment. In its catalysts division, Albemarle provides products for petroleum refining, chemical processing and emissions control.

Founded in 1994 as a spin-off from Ethyl Corporation, Albemarle has grown through strategic acquisitions and capacity expansions to become one of the world's foremost chemical producers.

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