Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

ALB has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Albemarle from $190.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Albemarle from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Albemarle from $210.00 to $236.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Albemarle from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.04.

Albemarle Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of ALB stock opened at $203.72 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $179.56 and a 200 day moving average of $154.41. 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 stock has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.36. Albemarle has a twelve month low of $53.70 and a twelve month high of $221.00.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $1.71. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a positive return on equity of 5.22% and a negative net margin of 5.00%.Albemarle’s quarterly revenue was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.18) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Albemarle will post 8.72 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio is presently -47.51%.

Insider Transactions at Albemarle

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $22,995,808.68. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Albemarle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Albemarle by 190.1% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 293 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Albemarle by 121.5% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 299 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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

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.