Mizuho Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Stock

Albemarle (NYSE:ALBGet Free Report) had its target price boosted by analysts at Mizuho from $156.00 to $185.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Mizuho’s target price suggests a potential upside of 11.17% from the stock’s current price.

ALB has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $135.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on Albemarle from $75.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $210.00 price objective on Albemarle and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Albemarle in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Albemarle from $145.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albemarle has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.72.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Albemarle

Albemarle Stock Performance

ALB opened at $166.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a market cap of $19.61 billion, a PE ratio of -28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $158.16 and a 200-day moving average of $115.03. Albemarle has a 52-week low of $49.43 and a 52-week high of $195.68.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALBGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.53) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.40) by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 10.74% and a positive return on equity of 0.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($1.09) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Albemarle will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Albemarle

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth $7,363,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Albemarle by 265.3% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 320,498 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $45,331,000 after buying an additional 232,764 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in Albemarle by 61.0% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 89,429 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,648,000 after buying an additional 33,874 shares during the period. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at $266,000. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Key Albemarle News

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

Albemarle Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Albemarle (NYSE:ALB)

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