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ALB · Analysis updated Nov 10, 2026, 6:00 PM ET
Why is Albemarle Corporation (ALB) stock moving?
Albemarle's Q3 2026 report beat estimates on both sales ($1.553B vs $1.517B) and adjusted EPS ($2.58 vs $2.54). Adjusted EBITDA rose 186% to $646M, driven mainly by higher Energy Storage pricing (+68%), and the company raised its Specialties EBITDA outlook to $350-$375M. Free cash flow was $325M, and capex guidance was cut to $300-$350M from about $500M. Full-year sales guidance of $5.7-$6.0B was only affirmed, sitting below the $6.069B consensus. The stock rose from about $90 on Nov 3 to a high of $102.28 on Nov 5 on 6.05M shares on Nov 4, then drifted back. It closed at $94.93 on Nov 10, down 4.2% from $99.12 on Nov 9, on volume of 1.96M. Analyst reaction after earnings was mixed: Morgan Stanley cut to Equal-Weight with a $105 target (from $161), Deutsche Bank cut to $125 (from $155), UBS cut to $137 (from $150), Barclays cut to $95, RBC cut to $119 and Truist cut to $170, while Citigroup raised to $140 and Scotiabank set $165. Most ratings remain Buy or Outperform, but the average target has fallen from about $150 toward the mid-$100s to $140s. Management cites 48% year-to-date lithium demand growth through August and a $1.5B credit facility as support for the long-term outlook. The main risks are that growth depends on pricing and that the affirmed sales guidance trails consensus.
News behind the analysis
- Albemarle Reports Third Quarter 2026 ResultsQ3 net sales rose 19% to $1.6B and adjusted EPS was $2.58, with adjusted EBITDA up 186% to $646M. Specialties adjusted EBITDA guidance was raised to $350-$375M and capex cut to $300-$350M.
- Albemarle Q3 Adj. EPS $2.58 Beats $2.54 Estimate, Sales $1.553B Beat $1.517B EstimateThird-quarter adjusted EPS and net sales both came in above analyst estimates.
- Albemarle Affirms FY2026 Sales Guidance of $5.700B-$6.000B vs $6.069B EstThe company kept its full-year sales guidance, which sits below the $6.069B consensus estimate.
- Barclays Maintains Equal-Weight on Albemarle, Lowers Price Target to $95Barclays kept an Equal-Weight rating and cut its price target to $95.
- Truist Securities Reiterates Buy on Albemarle, Lowers Price Target to $170Truist reiterated its Buy rating while lowering its price target to $170.
- Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Albemarle, Lowers Price Target to $105Morgan Stanley kept an Equal-Weight rating and cut its target to $105 from $161.
- UBS Maintains Buy on Albemarle, Lowers Price Target to $137UBS kept a Buy rating and lowered its price target to $137 from $150.
- Citigroup Maintains Buy on Albemarle, Raises Price Target to $140Citigroup kept a Buy rating and raised its price target to $140.
- Deutsche Bank Lowers Price Target on Albemarle to $125 From $155Deutsche Bank kept a Buy rating and reduced its price target to $125 from $155.
- Albemarle Corporation Secures $1.5 Billion Credit Facility and Declares Quarterly DividendAlbemarle entered a $1.5B unsecured revolving credit facility maturing in 2031 and declared a $0.41 quarterly dividend.
About Albemarle Corporation
Albemarle is one of the world's largest lithium producers. It supplies lithium chemicals used in electric-vehicle and grid-storage batteries, and it also makes bromine-based specialty chemicals. It owns low-cost resources, including brine operations in Chile's Atacama and Nevada and a stake in Australia's Greenbushes hard-rock mine through the Talison joint venture. Its profits rise and fall sharply with lithium prices.
How it makes money
Most of its revenue comes from the Energy Storage segment, which sells lithium carbonate and hydroxide to battery and cathode makers, many of them on contracts tied to market prices. This segment brings in roughly 60–70% of sales. The Specialties segment, about a quarter of sales, sells bromine and lithium specialty products for uses such as fire safety, electronics, pharmaceuticals and oilfield work. It also receives dividends from the Talison joint venture. In early 2026 it sold its Ketjen refining-catalyst business. Q3 2026 net sales were about $1.6 billion, up roughly 19% from a year earlier as lithium prices recovered.
What usually moves ALB
- Lithium carbonate and hydroxide prices
- EV and battery energy-storage demand
- Chinese lithium supply and spodumene costs
- Cost cuts and capital spending discipline
- Trade policy and resource nationalism in Chile and Australia