Robert W. Baird Boosts Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Price Target to $236.00

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) had its price target lifted by Robert W. Baird from $210.00 to $236.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird’s target price suggests a potential upside of 15.85% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on ALB. Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 price target on shares of Albemarle in a report on Monday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Albemarle from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered shares of Albemarle from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $188.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.04.

Albemarle Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of ALB opened at $203.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.36. Albemarle has a 1 year low of $53.70 and a 1 year high of $221.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Albemarle will post 8.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ALB. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albemarle in the third quarter worth about $138,723,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter valued at about $165,271,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter valued at about $130,415,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Albemarle by 4,338.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 738,430 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $104,444,000 after acquiring an additional 721,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Albemarle by 22,047.4% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 713,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,613,000 after acquiring an additional 710,589 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Albemarle Company Profile

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.