Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from UBS Group

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) had its price target lowered by UBS Group from $150.00 to $137.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on ALB. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Albemarle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 7th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Albemarle from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down from $185.00) on shares of Albemarle in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albemarle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.05.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of ALB opened at $96.14 on Monday. Albemarle has a 52 week low of $89.77 and a 52 week high of $221.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $105.23 and a 200-day moving average of $146.54.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Albemarle had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 10.40%. The business’s revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.19) EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Albemarle will post 10.75 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 18th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 18th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Albemarle’s payout ratio is currently 39.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albemarle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 12,206.4% during the third quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 32,612 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,450,000 after purchasing an additional 32,347 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Albemarle by 529.2% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 27,032 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 22,736 shares during the period. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Albemarle by 49.9% in the third quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 5,675 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares during the period. Aegis Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Albemarle by 34.8% in the third quarter. Aegis Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,391 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Finally, Bornite Capital Management LP bought a new position in Albemarle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $15,867,000. 92.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Albemarle News Summary

These are some of the ALB news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target for ALB, signaling greater potential upside in its valuation, though the reported headline did not give the new target. Read more about Citigroup’s price target increase
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank cut its EPS forecasts to $10.36 for FY2026 from $11.64 and to $9.98 for FY2027 from $14.15. The lower projections may weigh on sentiment, although the bank maintained its “Sector Outperform” rating and $165 price target. Read more about analyst estimates for Albemarle
• Negative Sentiment: UBS Group and Morgan Stanley each cut their price targets for Albemarle, adding to concerns about the stock’s near-term upside. The reports did not specify the revised targets in the headlines. Read more about UBS’s price target cut Read more about Morgan Stanley’s price target cut

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation is a specialty chemicals company that produces lithium, bromine and refining catalysts. Its products serve industries including energy storage, transportation, electronics, petroleum refining and pharmaceuticals. The company supplies lithium compounds used in rechargeable batteries and other applications. It also makes bromine-based products for uses such as flame retardants and water treatment, along with catalysts used in refining petroleum. Albemarle traces its history to 1887 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.