Albemarle(US:ALB) Feng Huang Wang·2025-12-05 23:57Core Viewpoint - Albemarle, the world's largest lithium producer, saw its stock price rise over 9% on December 5, 2023, following an upgrade from UBS, which raised its rating from "Neutral" to "Buy" and increased the target price from $107 to $185 per share [1][2][4]. Company Summary - Albemarle, established in 1887, is a global specialty chemicals company leading in lithium chemicals, bromine chemicals, and refining catalysts [3]. - The company's lithium-related products include lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, lithium metal, organic lithium compounds, and specialty lithium salts, making it the largest producer of lithium compounds by capacity, followed by SQM [3]. Industry Summary - The lithium market is transitioning from a surplus to a slight shortage, setting the stage for a potential "boom" scenario by 2027 [5]. - Analysts note that rising demand for energy storage, coupled with a slowdown in new capacity additions in Western countries, is driving the lithium market towards a shortage in the second half of 2026 [5]. - Despite a more than 50% rebound in lithium spot prices from the June low, prices remain approximately 85% lower than the historical highs of 2022 [5]. - The U.S. is increasingly concerned about its reliance on foreign sources for critical materials, with lithium continuing to be listed as a key mineral by the U.S. Geological Survey [6][7].