Monitoring recent stock price movement on shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) we have recorded the stock price at $96.62. Investors may be intently tracking price activity on the stock over the next few sessions, and looking for any signs of a possible shift in momentum. Let’s focus in on some historical trading information. Over the last 12 week period, the stock has moved 1.49%. Rewinding to the start of the year, we note that shares have seen a change of -25.89%. Over the past 4 weeks, shares have seen a change of -0.46%. Over the last 5 trading periods, the stock has moved 1.22%. Focusing on the important historic stock price levels can help keep the investors directed down the right path. After a recent check, we can see that the 52-week high is currently 144.58, and the 52-week low is presently 88.96.
Investors are commonly striving to make the best possible decisions when picking stocks. This may involve doing plenty of market research. Keeping track of all the different company and global economic news can be head spinning at times. Investors who are able to stay focused and keep the important data at the forefront might be able to build a solid foundation for making those tough investment decisions in the future. Investors who continuously pick stocks without doing the proper research and analysis may find themselves in a pickle when the going gets tough.
Looking at some analyst views on shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB), we note that the consensus target price is resting at $129.12. This is the consensus target using estimates provided by the covering analysts polled. Sell-side analysts often produce target estimates for the companies that they track closely. Price target estimates can be calculated using various methods, and this may cause some analyst estimates to be drastically different than others. Many investors will track stock target prices, especially when analysts update the target price projections.
Investors might be paying attention to what Wall Street analysts think about shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB). Taking a peek at the current consensus broker rating, we can see that the ABR is 1.59. This average rating is provided by Zacks Research. This simplified numeric scale spans the range of one to five which translates brokerage firm Buy/Sell/Hold recommendations into an average broker rating. A low number in the 1-2 range typically indicates a Buy, 3 indicates a Hold and 4-5 represents a consensus Sell rating. In terms of the number of analysts that have the stock rated as a Buy or Strong Buy, we can see that the number is currently 13.
Shifting the focus to some earnings data, we have noted that the current quarter EPS consensus estimate for Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) is 1.2. This EPS estimate consists of 9 Wall Street analysts taken into consideration by Zacks Research. For the previous reporting period, the company posted a quarterly EPS of 1.3. Sell-side analysts often provide their best researched estimates at what the company will report. These estimates hold a lot of weight on Wall Street and the investing community. Sometimes these analyst projections are spot on, and other times they are off. When a company reports actual earnings results, the surprise factor can cause a stock price to fluctuate. Investors will often pay added attention to a company that has beaten estimates by a large margin.
Investing in the stock market can be highly unpredictable. Veteran investors may have spent many years studying the market. At some point along the way, many investors may have had to make some tough decisions. Making the tough stock portfolio decisions can seem like a daunting task, especially if some wrong calls have been made in the past. Investors who are able to quickly learn from previous mistakes may be much better situated if they are able to keep from repeating those mistakes. When just starting out, investors may want to go slow and steady in order to focus on the simpler investing ideas first.