Cabot (NYSE:CBT) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Cabot Corporation (NYSE:CBT) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $86.43 and last traded at $84.4940, with a volume of 550592 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.68.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Cabot from $81.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Cabot in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Cabot from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cabot from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Cabot from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.25.

Cabot Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97, a P/E/G ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.63.

Cabot (NYSE:CBT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.14. Cabot had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 21.33%. The company had revenue of $904.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $900.31 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Cabot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.50 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Cabot Corporation will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Cabot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $0.4725 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Cabot’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Cabot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cabot

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CBT. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cabot by 2,559.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 984 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 947 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Cabot by 32.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 442,646 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $36,802,000 after purchasing an additional 108,645 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Cabot by 102.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,162 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,341,000 after purchasing an additional 14,260 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Cabot by 3.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 122,022 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $10,145,000 after purchasing an additional 4,048 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Cabot by 409.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 453 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.18% of the company’s stock.

About Cabot

Cabot Corporation is a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1882 by Godfrey Lowell Cabot, the company has grown into a diversified manufacturer with operations across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Cabot serves a wide range of end markets, including automotive, industrial, energy, and consumer products, supplying essential ingredients that enhance performance, durability and functionality.

The company operates two primary segments: Reinforcement Materials and Performance Materials.