Scotiabank Issues Negative Outlook for Albemarle Earnings

Key Points

• Scotiabank cut Albemarle’s Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $4.01 from $4.24, while maintaining an “Outperform” rating. The firm projects $14.76 EPS for fiscal 2026 and $15.56 for fiscal 2027.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 15 Buy ratings, 10 Holds and one Sell; the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $199.22.
• Albemarle’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, reporting $2.95 EPS and $1.43 billion in revenue, while shares recently traded at $117.87. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, yielding approximately 1.4%.

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Scotiabank decreased their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for Albemarle in a report issued on Monday, July 27th. Scotiabank analyst B. Isaacson now anticipates that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings of $4.01 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $4.24. Scotiabank has a "Outperform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Albemarle's current full-year earnings is $12.86 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for Albemarle's FY2026 earnings at $14.76 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $15.56 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $205.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on Albemarle from $230.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Albemarle from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America raised their target price on Albemarle from $190.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised Albemarle from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.22.

Albemarle Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of ALB opened at $117.87 on Friday. Albemarle has a 1-year low of $64.95 and a 1-year high of $221.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $143.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.57 and a beta of 1.34.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $1.71. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 5.00% and a positive return on equity of 5.22%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.18) EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Albemarle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This is a positive change from Albemarle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Albemarle's payout ratio is -48.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albemarle

In other news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 16,393 shares of Albemarle stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.72, for a total transaction of $3,011,721.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,078,990.68. This trade represents a 15.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Albemarle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV bought a new stake in Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. BOKF NA boosted its stake in Albemarle by 5,771.4% in the 3rd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 411 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Albemarle in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company's stock.

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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