It's Showtime for Albemarle (ALB)

It's Showtime for Albemarle

Albemarle (NYSE: ALB ) is expected to report Q3 earnings on Oct. 17. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Albemarle's revenues will wither -7.2% and EPS will decrease -12.5%.

The average estimate for revenue is $671.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.12.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Albemarle booked revenue of $684.9 million. GAAP reported sales were 7.7% lower than the prior-year quarter's $742.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.24. GAAP EPS of $0.42 for Q2 were 66% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.23 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 35.4%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 21.5%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.5%, 990 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.76 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.66.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 220 members out of 234 rating the stock outperform, and 14 members rating it underperform. Among 64 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 62 give Albemarle a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Albemarle is outperform, with an average price target of $72.00.

Add Albemarle to My Watchlist.

More Expert Advice from The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

Jeff Fischer and team have demystified options. And they can rack up income like $1,030... $2,626... and $3,228 on a schedule you can set your watch by!
That's why we're glad to announce every single one of their closely guarded strategies is available to YOU during May and June – 100% FREE, no strings attached! Just enter your email address in the box below...

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Comments from our Foolish Readers

Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the Report this Comment icon found on every comment.