Albemarle Corp.
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+ FollowMarket Cap$11.74B
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Earnings Call Q1 2026
May 7, 2026 - AI Summary
Strong Q1 performance; big EBITDA surge
- Net sales: $1.4B, +33% YoY (driven by higher pricing and volume in both segments).
- Adjusted EBITDA: $664M, more than doubled (+397M YoY / ~+148%), supported by higher price/volume plus cost & productivity improvements.
- Segment growth: Energy Storage EBITDA +196%, Specialties EBITDA +30%; EBITDA margin expanded by 20+ percentage points YoY due mainly to pricing and cost actions.
- Cash generation: $346M operating cash flow and $248M free cash flow in Q1; CapEx $99M.
2026 guidance raised for Specialties; lithium/ESS outlook maintained
- Specialties (raised): Full-year net sales $1.3B–$1.5B and adjusted EBITDA $225M–$275M (higher than prior expectations); expects EBITDA margin in the high teens.
- Energy Storage (maintained): Energy Storage guidance ranges unchanged (including geopolitical supply-chain cost effects); Q2 expected sequential improvement in net sales/EBITDA assuming flat lithium pricing, but margin down sequentially (spodumene inventory timing + supply chain costs).
- Total company outlook: Maintaining across all lithium price scenarios despite Middle East-related disruptions, because expected cost impacts are offset by other factors (notably pricing/volume strength in Specialties + lower interest expense from debt paydown).
Key 2026/near-term assumptions and forecasts
- Lithium market demand tracking: Consumption up 37% YTD, within the upper band of Albemarle’s 2026 forecast (+15% to +40%); management expects demand to be “relatively resilient” to Middle East disruption (could be slightly up or down but still inside the range).
- Energy Storage demand growth: Management reiterated strong lithium demand tied to ESS; cited ESS-related lithium market growth up 117% YoY.
- EV growth nuance: Despite weaker EV unit sales in early 2026 (China subsidy/timing effects; also U.S. incentives), global EV lithium demand still supported by larger battery sizes (e.g., China battery size up ~20%, global EV sales +3% YoY on GWh basis).
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$-70.75
171.3% downside
Current Fair Value
171.3% downsideOvervalued by 171.3% based on the discounted cash flow analysis.
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Share Statistics
| Market cap | $11.74 Billion |
|---|---|
| Enterprise Value | $12.23 Billion |
| Annual dividend | $1.63 |
| Dividend yield | 1.64% |
| Earnings per Share | $-5.75 |
| Beta | 1.36 |
| Outstanding Shares | 118,008,000 |
Return
| Return on Equity | 1.37% |
|---|---|
| Return on Assets | 0.89% |
| Return on Invested Capital | 3.19% |
Valuation & Multiples
| P/E Ratio | 22.76 |
|---|---|
| PEG | 1.14 |
| Price to Sales | 1.98 |
| Price to Book Ratio | 1.13 |
| Enterprise Value to Revenue | 2.07 |
| Enterprise Value to EBIT | 27.37 |
| Enterprise Value to Net Income | 86 |
| Total Debt to Enterprise | 0.17 |
| Debt to Equity | 0.21 |
Revenue Sources
No data
Last Earnings Call
Report Date
November 4, 2026
EPS Estimate
$2.53
Consensus analyst estimateRevenue Estimate
$1.52 B
Consensus analyst estimateNext Earnings Call
Expected Date
February 10, 2027
EPS Estimate
$1.84
Consensus analyst estimateRevenue Estimate
$1.39 B
Consensus analyst estimateInstitutional Put/Call Ratio
Compares institutional put options with call options. At 0.00, the ratio is below 1, so institutions hold more calls than puts.
| Put/Call Ratio | 0.0000▼ 135.92% |
|---|---|
| Total Calls | -▼ 100.00% |
| Total Puts | 367,800▼ 95.93% |
Institutional Ownership
Holdings and activity of institutional investors.
| Ownership % | 4.29%▼ 94.79% |
|---|---|
| Total Invested | $531.59M▼ 96.63% |
| Investors Holding | 267▼ 762.00% |
About Albemarle Corp.
7,800 employees
CEO: Jerry Masters
Albemarle Corporation is a global enterprise dedicated to the creation, production, and distribution of advanced specialty chemicals. The company's operations are divided into three principal divisions: Lithium, Bromine, and Catalysts. T...