Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Stock Keeps “Buy” Rating at Truist Financial

Truist Financial restated their buy rating on shares of Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $170.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $185.00.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $175.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho raised Albemarle from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Argus dropped their target price on Albemarle from $230.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Barclays cut their target price on Albemarle from $109.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Albemarle from $157.00 to $129.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $177.64.

Albemarle Stock Performance

ALB stock traded up $0.66 on Friday, reaching $99.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,444,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,458,542. Albemarle has a 52 week low of $89.77 and a 52 week high of $221.00. The company has a market capitalization of $11.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.05. Albemarle had a return on equity of 10.96% and a net margin of 3.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.19) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Albemarle will post 11.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 18th will be issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 18th. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albemarle

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in Albemarle during the second quarter valued at approximately $358,101,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in Albemarle in the second quarter worth approximately $131,049,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Albemarle in the second quarter worth approximately $103,268,000. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 5,344.0% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 753,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $79,718,000 after buying an additional 739,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 2,981.1% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 733,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $77,621,000 after buying an additional 709,977 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Albemarle reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.58 per share, ahead of estimates, on $1.55 billion in revenue—also above forecasts and up 18.8% year over year. Higher lithium pricing, strong demand, cost reductions and improved Specialties profits supported the results. Albemarle Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Cost Discipline and Lithium Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained its “Sector Outperform” rating and $190 price target, estimating EPS of $11.64 for FY2026 and $14.15 for FY2027—above the cited current-year consensus estimate. Albemarle analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed its “buy” rating, though it lowered its price target to $170 from $185. Truist rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC cut its target to $119 from $129 but retained an “outperform” rating, reflecting a more cautious valuation alongside continued optimism about the shares. RBC rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its target to $95 from $109 and kept an “equal weight” rating, pointing to a less favorable near-term risk-reward view. Lithium prices remain volatile, a potential source of uncertainty for earnings. Barclays rating information

Albemarle Company Profile

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) is a global specialty chemicals company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company develops, manufactures, and markets engineered chemicals used in energy storage, transportation, refining, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, consumer products, and other industrial applications.

Albemarle is one of the world’s major producers of lithium and supplies lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, for use in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid energy-storage systems.