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ALALB

Albemarle Corporation

Strong FundamentalsStrong FundamentalsRevenue growing 33% YoY at strong marginsStreet coverage with positive forward estimatesConsistent chatter on X (118/wk), no spike
$ALB·$15B·Chemicals - Specialty·Basic Materials
$134.97-1.7%YTD-16.0%1Y+69.7%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-22: 9 posts2026-08-23: 19 posts118-4%
Price updated 10h ago·X counts updated 8d ago
ALALB
$ALBAlbemarle Corporation
$134.97-1.74%118 posts-4%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $ALB, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Comeback attemptWinding up for a moveAI verdict · as of 2026-09-01

Trading in a tight range and building pressure — a move looks likely soon, but the direction isn't clear yet.

Albemarle is the lithium turnaround printing surprise beats as demand mechanics rebuild — the multiple still says the market doesn't believe it.

Albemarle is the world's largest lithium producer (plus a specialty bromine business) that took a massive earnings collapse in 2024-2025 as lithium prices crashed. The last two EPS prints have surprised massively positive, and the market hasn't yet re-rated the multiple.

  • Revenue growth just re-accelerated hard: Q1 came in at $1.43B (+33% YoY) with operating margin at 16%, and the last two EPS prints beat consensus by 148% and 17% respectively — the turnaround mechanics are printing.
  • Analyst FY26 EPS at $12.53 (from earlier expectations of continued losses) reflects the surprise beats being extrapolated — a huge earnings ramp that the multiple ($15.5B market cap on ~$12.5 EPS = 10.8x forward) doesn't fully reward yet.
  • Position sits at the 43rd percentile of the 52-week range with volume 86% of normal — mid-range consolidation, and the recent rotation into rare earth and metals extending into lithium is the sector tailwind context.
  • The 'Albemarle's Lithium Math Turns Brutal' Seeking Alpha piece is the honest counterweight — analyst FY27 EPS estimates at $11.64 vs FY26 $12.53 imply a slight step-down, so the recovery may not compound.

The path forward depends on the Nov 4 Q3 print — lithium realized prices vs sector benchmarks, Wodgina and Kemerton production trajectory, and FY27 EPS guidance color. A lithium re-break below $10K/tonne or a soft Q3 print invalidates the setup; a guide raise plus continued price stability restarts the compounder story.

Agrees with X sentimentAligned with the constructive technical read — break above the high $140s as the trend-change trigger, weekly-chart potential for a fast move through $146, and rare-earth/metals rotation extending into lithium are all real setups. The 'lithium math turns brutal' skepticism is legit but hasn't broken the tape yet.

What to watch: The Nov 4 Q3 print — lithium realized prices vs sector benchmarks, Wodgina and Kemerton production trajectory, and FY27 EPS guidance color. A lithium price re-break below $10K/tonne or a soft Q3 print invalidates the setup; a guide raise plus continued price stability restarts the compounder story.

On the calendar: 2026-11-04 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bullish sentiment5 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-30

The Albemarle conversation is constructive, with technical traders watching a break above the high $140s as the trend-change trigger and noting weekly-chart potential for a fast move through $146. Posters flag the recent rotation into rare earth and metals possibly extending into lithium. A reply names ALB and SQM as the strongest lithium plays. One recent correction was slightly deeper than expected but recovered quickly.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $ALB

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Mines and refines lithium compounds for EV batteries and energy storage, plus bromine and catalyst chemicals.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Chemicals - Specialty sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $ALB.

Chemicals - Specialty · Basic Materials

Specialty chemical demand is tied to downstream industrial cycles — semiconductor materials (photoresists, CMP slurries) are growing while agricultural/construction-linked volumes soften. AI fab expansion is the structural growth pocket within specialty chemicals.

What this means for $ALB

Partial — upstream oil & gas exposure ties to commodity price cycle; Albemarle Corporation stands as a global innovator, producin.

Industry benchmark

13-name peer basket
+36.0%YTD
+46.2%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
-78.7How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
2.2%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
5.6%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
3.1%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
3.3Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
-2.4%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
18.5%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.2Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Aug 5, 2026$3.75$3.20+17.2%
Q1 2026May 6, 2026$2.95$1.19+147.9%
Q4 2025Feb 11, 2026$-0.53$-0.42-26.8%
Q3 2025Nov 5, 2025$-0.19$-0.86+77.9%
Next earningsWed, Nov 4·consensus EPS $2.55

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$1.4B+32.7%35.1%16.3%$2.35$247.6M
Q4 FY25$1.4B+15.9%14.2%3.4%$-3.87$233.1M
Q3 FY25$1.3B-3.5%9.0%-2.3%$-1.72$223.4M
Q2 FY25$1.3B-7.0%14.8%4.0%$-0.16$-126.8M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 15 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$6.4B$6.0B – $7.1B$12.53$11.01 – $14.9815
FY27$6.5B$6.0B – $7.4B$11.64$7.32 – $16.0914
FY28$6.8B$5.0B – $8.9B$11.99$6.02 – $17.5012
FY29$6.3B$5.3B – $7.8B$10.84$8.73 – $14.3811
FY30$7.4B$6.3B – $9.3B$13.85$11.15 – $18.386

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.0.9×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.43%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.+4.4%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.-13.6%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatMid float · 117.5M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today1.6% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β1.325-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellMay 15Masters J KentCEO16.4K sh$3.0MSellMar 10Masters J KentCEO11.8K sh$2.0M
+ 13 other (11 awards · 1 inkind · 1 gift) in window

See when $ALB insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

3New insider — initial holdingsAug 253
AI summary

Max Hood, newly appointed Chief Accounting Officer of Albemarle Corp, filed a Form 3 initial statement of beneficial ownership on August 25, 2026, with a triggering event date of August 24, 2026. No securities of Albemarle are currently beneficially owned by Hood. This is a routine administrative filing required within 10 days of becoming subject to Section 16 reporting obligations as a new corporate officer.

8-KOfficer or director changeAug 218-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
3New insider — initial holdingsJul 233
AI summary

Eduardo De Salles Bartolomeo filed Form 3 (Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership) following his appointment as a director of Albemarle Corporation, effective July 21, 2026. The form was signed by attorney-in-fact Corey E. Tanner on July 23, 2026. Tables I and II contain no entries — Bartolomeo holds no Albemarle securities at the time of the initial filing. As required by Section 16(a), this baseline filing must be made within 10 days of becoming an insider; future Form 4 filings will track any equity grants received under ALB's standard non-employee director compensation program.

8-KOfficer or director changeJul 238-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Albemarle Corporation appointed Eduardo De Salles Bartolomeo as an independent board member, effective July 21, 2026, under Item 5.02. He was assigned to the Audit and Finance Committee and the Safety, Sustainability, Operations & Capital Committee. Compensation follows the standard non-employee director program: a $120,000 annual cash retainer (quarterly, pro-rated for partial year) and approximately $170,000 in annual restricted stock (rounded up to the nearest 25 shares, pro-rated). No undisclosed arrangements or related-party transactions exist in connection with his selection. Adding an independent director with relevant industrial background strengthens governance at a time when ALB is navigating a lithium market downturn and restructuring its cost base.

8-KOfficer or director changeJun 58-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

ALB (ALB) filed an 8-K under Item 5.02 disclosing a change in its executive leadership or board composition. The filing reports both a departure and an appointment in Chief Financial Officer. Individuals named in the filing include The Securities, Employer Identification. Leadership changes at the C-suite and board level are material events requiring 8-K disclosure within four business days, as they can affect company strategy, investor confidence, and operational continuity.

8-KOfficer or director changeMay 88-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

ALB disclosed a personnel change (8-K Item 5.02, dated 2026-05-08). An executive departure and a new appointment are both reported. Personnel changes are generally administrative; materiality depends on seniority and circumstances.

8-KOfficer or director changeApr 178-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

ALB disclosed a personnel change (8-K Item 5.02, dated 2026-04-17). An executive departure and a new appointment are both reported. Personnel changes are generally administrative; materiality depends on seniority and circumstances.

8-KMaterial agreementMar 258-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement
AI summary

ALB entered into a amendment (8-K Item 1.01, dated 2026-03-25). Rate: 0.10%. Material definitive agreement — investors should review the full exhibit for covenants, conditions, and use of proceeds.

+ 18 other (4 13Gs · 2 10-Qs · 2 earnings 8-Ks · 2 proxys) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

ALB vs. SQM: Which Lithium Stock Should You Bet on Now?zacks.com·4d agoBank of Nova Scotia Purchases Shares of 6,006 Albemarle Corporation $ALBdefenseworld.net·4d agoAlbemarle's Lithium Math Turns Brutalbenzinga.com·7d agoStock of the Day: Is This the Top for Albemarle?benzinga.com·8d agoWill Albemarle's Cash Strength Support Higher Shareholder Returns?zacks.com·12d ago

In themes

Explore the broader themes this ticker is being talked about under.

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Voices on X · top 1 · last 7 days

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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