Scotiabank Increases Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Price Target to $215.00

Key Points

• Scotiabank raised its price target on Albemarle from $200 to $215, implying about 3.9% upside from the prior close while maintaining a positive view on the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but still broadly constructive: recent moves include upgrades and higher targets from firms like Royal Bank of Canada, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, and Wall Street Zen, while Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded the stock to neutral. MarketBeat says the consensus rating remains Hold with a $194.75 average price target.
• Albemarle reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.95 versus expectations of $1.24 and revenue of $1.43 billion, up 32.7% year over year. The company also had insider selling, including CEO J. Kent Masters selling 11,783 shares.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Scotiabank from $200.00 to $215.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. Scotiabank's price objective suggests a potential upside of 3.88% from the company's previous close.

ALB has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded shares of Albemarle from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $188.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $245.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Albemarle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Albemarle from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Albemarle has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $194.75.

Albemarle Stock Performance

Shares of Albemarle stock opened at $206.97 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $180.77 and a 200 day moving average of $156.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -60.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Albemarle has a 12 month low of $53.70 and a 12 month high of $221.00.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $1.71. Albemarle had a positive return on equity of 5.22% and a negative net margin of 5.00%.The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.18) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Albemarle will post 9.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Albemarle

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 134,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,995,808.68. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in Albemarle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV bought a new position in shares of Albemarle during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. BOKF NA grew its position in Albemarle by 5,771.4% in the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 411 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Albemarle by 536.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 483 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: Deutsche Bank raised Albemarle’s price target to $250 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling more upside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies increased its price target to $244, adding to the cluster of bullish analyst calls on Albemarle.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Albemarle from hold to strong-buy, which can attract momentum and growth-oriented investors. Article: Tickerreport.com report on Zacks Research upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks said Albemarle may be well positioned for further gains, citing solid earnings estimate revisions and favorable lithium market trends.
• Positive Sentiment: The stock was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 Strong Buy lists and momentum screens, reinforcing positive technical and sentiment signals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that Albemarle has been widely watched and is trending among investors, but these updates mostly reflect existing interest rather than a new fundamental change.

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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