Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Stock Rating Upgraded by Mizuho

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) was upgraded by stock analysts at Mizuho from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $130.00 target price on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 32.77% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on shares of Albemarle from $188.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Scotiabank cut their target price on Albemarle from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Albemarle from $244.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Albemarle in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.96.

Albemarle Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of ALB traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $97.91. The company had a trading volume of 3,214,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,461,869. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 362.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $121.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.18. Albemarle has a 52-week low of $88.01 and a 52-week high of $221.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.09.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $3.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.20 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Albemarle had a net margin of 3.09% and a return on equity of 10.96%. Albemarle’s revenue was up 31.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.11 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Albemarle will post 11.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albemarle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALB. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new position in Albemarle in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Albemarle by 190.1% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 293 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Albemarle

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded Albemarle to Outperform from Neutral and set a $130 price target, implying substantial potential upside from recent levels. The call reflects expectations for a recovery in lithium markets and improved company performance. Lithium Stock Looks to End Losing Streak After Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Options trading was unusually active, with traders purchasing 14,722 call options—about 97% above the typical daily call volume. This indicates increased speculative bullish interest, though options activity does not necessarily represent long-term fundamental conviction. Albemarle’s Remarkable Recovery Driven Higher by Surprising Source
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Equal Weight rating, suggesting the firm sees balanced risk and reward rather than a clear near-term catalyst. The new coverage may increase institutional attention but does not provide a bullish valuation signal. Barclays initiates coverage of Albemarle with equal-weight rating
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks maintained a strongly bearish view, citing downward earnings revisions and an approximately 80% collapse in lithium prices since late 2022. Weak lithium pricing remains the key risk to Albemarle’s revenue, profitability and valuation, despite the recent analyst upgrade. Bear of the Day: Albemarle Corporation

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and markets materials used in energy storage, transportation, consumer products and industrial applications. The company is best known for its lithium business, which supplies lithium compounds used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics and energy-storage systems.

Albemarle also produces bromine-based specialty chemicals used in areas such as fire safety, water treatment, pharmaceutical manufacturing and other industrial processes.