Albemarle Shares Drop 2.6% as Q1 EPS Forecast Soars 505%
Albemarle shares fell 2.63% to $163.93, underperforming the S&P 500’s 0.57% loss and lagging sector gains of 3.46% over the past month. Analysts forecast Q1 EPS of $0.73, a 505.6% year-over-year jump, with $1.28 billion revenue and assign a Zacks Rank of #1 Strong Buy.
1. Stock Performance
On March 5, Albemarle shares declined 2.63% to close at $163.93, underperforming the S&P 500’s 0.57% drop and trailing sector gains of 3.46% over the last month. The stock’s one-month return of -0.18% contrasts with the Basic Materials sector’s 3.46% rise and the S&P 500’s slight 0.15% loss.
2. Earnings Projections
Consensus estimates call for Q1 EPS of $0.73, a 505.6% increase from the prior year, alongside projected revenue of $1.28 billion, up 18.9% year over year. Full-year forecasts anticipate EPS of $7.87 and revenue of $5.58 billion, reflecting 1,096.2% and 8.5% growth, respectively.
3. Valuation Metrics and Zacks Rank
Albemarle’s forward P/E ratio of 21.38 exceeds the industry average of 18.21, while its PEG ratio of 1.34 sits below the peer average of 1.54. The company holds a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), supported by a 70.6% gain in consensus EPS estimates over the past 30 days.