Materials Stocks Are on the Rise: A Promising Indicator for a New Era.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 16 2026
0mins
Source: Barron's
Materials Stocks Surge: Materials stocks have experienced a significant increase in value recently.
Improving Fundamentals: The fundamentals of these stocks are improving, indicating a positive shift in their performance.
Long-term Investment Potential: The changes in fundamentals suggest that materials stocks could be viable long-term investments.
Market Outlook: The current trends in the materials sector may indicate a lasting upward trajectory for these stocks.
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Analyst Views on ALB
Wall Street analysts forecast ALB stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ALB is 149.79 USD with a low forecast of 85.00 USD and a high forecast of 210.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
20 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
10 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 175.430
Low
85.00
Averages
149.79
High
210.00
Current: 175.430
Low
85.00
Averages
149.79
High
210.00
About ALB
Albemarle Corporation is engaged in transforming essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity, and health. The Company’s segments include Energy Storage, Specialties, and Ketjen. The Energy Storage segment develops and manufactures a range of basic lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and lithium chloride. Its Specialties business optimizes its portfolio of bromine and highly specialized lithium solutions. Its Specialties business serves a variety of industries, including energy, mobility, connectivity, and health. Specialty products are essential in both internal combustion and electric vehicles, from high-voltage cables and powertrains to airbags and tires. Its Ketjen segment includes clean fuels technologies (CFT), fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and additives, and performance catalyst solutions (PCS). It serves various markets such as grid storage, automotive, aerospace, conventional energy, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Albemarle Reports Strong Q4 Growth Amid Lithium Price Scenarios
- Significant Growth: Albemarle reported Q4 net sales of $1.4 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase, with adjusted EBITDA of $269 million, up 7%, reflecting strong growth in energy storage and improved cost efficiencies, enhancing the company's competitive position in the lithium market.
- Cost Control Success: Management highlighted that cost reduction measures implemented since 2024 led to approximately $450 million in cost and productivity improvements in 2025, while capital expenditures were reduced by 65% year-over-year, further enhancing financial flexibility.
- Optimistic Lithium Demand Outlook: Global lithium demand is expected to reach 1.8 to 2.2 million tons in 2026, representing 15% to 40% growth, driven primarily by electric vehicle and stationary storage demand, indicating strong market demand and potential for price increases.
- Strategic Asset Transactions: Albemarle completed the sale of its stake in the Eurecat joint venture in January 2026 and expects to finalize the sale of a controlling stake in Ketjen in Q1, anticipated to generate approximately $660 million in pretax proceeds for deleveraging and other corporate purposes, further optimizing its capital structure.
See More
Albemarle Corporation Q4 2025 Earnings Call Insights
- Significant Sales Growth: Albemarle reported net sales of $1.4 billion for Q4 2025, a 16% year-over-year increase, primarily driven by strong growth in energy storage and Ketjen segments, which grew by 17% and 13% respectively, indicating robust market demand.
- Adjusted EBITDA Improvement: The company achieved an adjusted EBITDA of $269 million in Q4, up 7% year-over-year, reflecting enhanced profitability driven by rising lithium market prices and increased sales volumes, which is expected to lay a solid foundation for future financial performance.
- Upgraded Lithium Demand Outlook: Albemarle raised its 2030 global lithium demand forecast by 10%, anticipating a range of 1.8 to 2.2 million tons, primarily fueled by growth in electric vehicles and stationary storage, showcasing the company's optimistic outlook on future market dynamics.
- Capital Expenditure Control: The company aims to target additional cost and productivity improvements of $100 million to $150 million while maintaining stable capital expenditures in 2026, which will help enhance financial flexibility and competitiveness amid market volatility.
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Crocs Shares Surge 21% on Strong Earnings Guidance
- Crocs Strong Guidance: Crocs shares surged 21% after the company projected adjusted earnings between $2.67 and $2.77 per share for the current quarter, exceeding the market expectation of $2.52, indicating resilience and growth potential in the current economic climate.
- Restaurant Brands Challenges: Despite reporting revenue and profit beats, Restaurant Brands' shares fell 6%, primarily due to rising costs, including beef, which pressured profits, reflecting the dual challenges of intensified industry competition and cost pressures.
- Cognex Stock Surge: Cognex shares jumped over 37% after reporting adjusted earnings and revenue beats for the fourth quarter, along with optimistic guidance for the current quarter, showcasing significant advancements in AI-enabled industrial machine vision technology.
- Equinix Exceeds Guidance: Equinix shares rose 12% after projecting adjusted EBITDA of $5.141 billion to $5.221 billion by 2026, surpassing analyst expectations, demonstrating strong growth potential in the digital infrastructure sector.
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ALBEMARLE ANTICIPATES RESUMPTION OF CATL'S LITHIUM MINES IN CHINA NEXT YEAR
- Return of Cat's Lithium Mines: Cat's lithium mines in China are expected to resume operations online in the upcoming year.
- Impact on Lithium Supply: The reopening of these mines could significantly influence the global lithium supply chain, which is crucial for electric vehicle batteries and other technologies.
See More
ALBEMARLE CEO PREDICTS GLOBAL LITHIUM DEMAND WILL RISE TO 1.8 TO 2.2 MILLION METRIC TONS BY 2026, INCREASING FROM 1.6 MILLION METRIC TONS IN 2025
Lithium Demand Forecast: The CEO of Albemarle expects global lithium demand to rise significantly by 2026, projecting an increase to between 1.8 million and 2.2 million metric tons.
Comparison to Previous Year: This forecast marks an increase from the anticipated demand of 1.6 million metric tons in 2025, indicating a growing market for lithium.
See More
Analysis of Major Premarket Trading Moves by Companies
- Restaurant Brands Performance: Restaurant Brands reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.96 per share, exceeding expectations by $0.01, with revenue of $2.47 billion surpassing the $2.41 billion consensus, leading to a 1.3% stock increase, indicating strong financial performance and market confidence.
- Anheuser-Busch Growth: Anheuser-Busch's fourth-quarter earnings reached $0.95 per share, beating the $0.90 analyst estimate, with revenue of $15.56 billion exceeding the $14.95 billion consensus, resulting in a 2.6% stock rise, reflecting robust growth in a competitive beer market.
- Cisco Decline: Cisco's non-GAAP gross margin of 67.5% fell short of the 68.1% expectation, despite second-quarter results exceeding estimates, causing a stock drop of about 7%, highlighting market concerns over its profitability.
- Cloud Computing Surge: Fastly's stock surged 44% after reporting adjusted earnings of $0.12 per share and revenue of $172.6 million, both exceeding expectations, with full-year revenue guidance of $700 million to $720 million far surpassing the $668 million market estimate, showcasing strong demand and growth potential.
See More
Albemarle Reports Strong Q4 Growth Amid Lithium Price Scenarios
- Significant Growth: Albemarle reported Q4 net sales of $1.4 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase, with adjusted EBITDA of $269 million, up 7%, reflecting strong growth in energy storage and improved cost efficiencies, enhancing the company's competitive position in the lithium market.
- Cost Control Success: Management highlighted that cost reduction measures implemented since 2024 led to approximately $450 million in cost and productivity improvements in 2025, while capital expenditures were reduced by 65% year-over-year, further enhancing financial flexibility.
- Optimistic Lithium Demand Outlook: Global lithium demand is expected to reach 1.8 to 2.2 million tons in 2026, representing 15% to 40% growth, driven primarily by electric vehicle and stationary storage demand, indicating strong market demand and potential for price increases.
- Strategic Asset Transactions: Albemarle completed the sale of its stake in the Eurecat joint venture in January 2026 and expects to finalize the sale of a controlling stake in Ketjen in Q1, anticipated to generate approximately $660 million in pretax proceeds for deleveraging and other corporate purposes, further optimizing its capital structure.
See More
Albemarle Corporation Q4 2025 Earnings Call Insights
- Significant Sales Growth: Albemarle reported net sales of $1.4 billion for Q4 2025, a 16% year-over-year increase, primarily driven by strong growth in energy storage and Ketjen segments, which grew by 17% and 13% respectively, indicating robust market demand.
- Adjusted EBITDA Improvement: The company achieved an adjusted EBITDA of $269 million in Q4, up 7% year-over-year, reflecting enhanced profitability driven by rising lithium market prices and increased sales volumes, which is expected to lay a solid foundation for future financial performance.
- Upgraded Lithium Demand Outlook: Albemarle raised its 2030 global lithium demand forecast by 10%, anticipating a range of 1.8 to 2.2 million tons, primarily fueled by growth in electric vehicles and stationary storage, showcasing the company's optimistic outlook on future market dynamics.
- Capital Expenditure Control: The company aims to target additional cost and productivity improvements of $100 million to $150 million while maintaining stable capital expenditures in 2026, which will help enhance financial flexibility and competitiveness amid market volatility.
See More
Crocs Shares Surge 21% on Strong Earnings Guidance
- Crocs Strong Guidance: Crocs shares surged 21% after the company projected adjusted earnings between $2.67 and $2.77 per share for the current quarter, exceeding the market expectation of $2.52, indicating resilience and growth potential in the current economic climate.
- Restaurant Brands Challenges: Despite reporting revenue and profit beats, Restaurant Brands' shares fell 6%, primarily due to rising costs, including beef, which pressured profits, reflecting the dual challenges of intensified industry competition and cost pressures.
- Cognex Stock Surge: Cognex shares jumped over 37% after reporting adjusted earnings and revenue beats for the fourth quarter, along with optimistic guidance for the current quarter, showcasing significant advancements in AI-enabled industrial machine vision technology.
- Equinix Exceeds Guidance: Equinix shares rose 12% after projecting adjusted EBITDA of $5.141 billion to $5.221 billion by 2026, surpassing analyst expectations, demonstrating strong growth potential in the digital infrastructure sector.
See More
ALBEMARLE ANTICIPATES RESUMPTION OF CATL'S LITHIUM MINES IN CHINA NEXT YEAR
- Return of Cat's Lithium Mines: Cat's lithium mines in China are expected to resume operations online in the upcoming year.
- Impact on Lithium Supply: The reopening of these mines could significantly influence the global lithium supply chain, which is crucial for electric vehicle batteries and other technologies.
See More
ALBEMARLE CEO PREDICTS GLOBAL LITHIUM DEMAND WILL RISE TO 1.8 TO 2.2 MILLION METRIC TONS BY 2026, INCREASING FROM 1.6 MILLION METRIC TONS IN 2025
Lithium Demand Forecast: The CEO of Albemarle expects global lithium demand to rise significantly by 2026, projecting an increase to between 1.8 million and 2.2 million metric tons.
Comparison to Previous Year: This forecast marks an increase from the anticipated demand of 1.6 million metric tons in 2025, indicating a growing market for lithium.
See More
Analysis of Major Premarket Trading Moves by Companies
- Restaurant Brands Performance: Restaurant Brands reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.96 per share, exceeding expectations by $0.01, with revenue of $2.47 billion surpassing the $2.41 billion consensus, leading to a 1.3% stock increase, indicating strong financial performance and market confidence.
- Anheuser-Busch Growth: Anheuser-Busch's fourth-quarter earnings reached $0.95 per share, beating the $0.90 analyst estimate, with revenue of $15.56 billion exceeding the $14.95 billion consensus, resulting in a 2.6% stock rise, reflecting robust growth in a competitive beer market.
- Cisco Decline: Cisco's non-GAAP gross margin of 67.5% fell short of the 68.1% expectation, despite second-quarter results exceeding estimates, causing a stock drop of about 7%, highlighting market concerns over its profitability.
- Cloud Computing Surge: Fastly's stock surged 44% after reporting adjusted earnings of $0.12 per share and revenue of $172.6 million, both exceeding expectations, with full-year revenue guidance of $700 million to $720 million far surpassing the $668 million market estimate, showcasing strong demand and growth potential.
See More
