Analysts’ Opinions Are Mixed on These Materials Stocks: Ashland (ASH), Nucor (NUE) and Albemarle (ALB)

Analysts have been eager to weigh in on the Materials sector with new ratings on Ashland (ASH – Research Report), Nucor (NUE – Research Report) and Albemarle (ALB – Research Report).

Ashland (ASH)

In a report released yesterday, John McNulty from BMO Capital maintained a Hold rating on Ashland, with a price target of $89.00. The company’s shares closed last Tuesday at $80.77.

According to TipRanks.com, McNulty is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 3.1% and a 54.5% success rate. McNulty covers the Basic Materials sector, focusing on stocks such as Air Products and Chemicals, Sherwin-Williams Company, and Axalta Coating Systems.

Ashland has an analyst consensus of Moderate Buy, with a price target consensus of $88.50, which is a 10.3% upside from current levels. In a report released yesterday, Wells Fargo also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $80.00 price target.

See Insiders’ Hot Stocks on TipRanks >>

Nucor (NUE)

In a report released yesterday, Katja Jancic from BMO Capital maintained a Hold rating on Nucor, with a price target of $180.00. The company’s shares closed last Tuesday at $188.90, close to its 52-week high of $190.74.

According to TipRanks.com, Jancic is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 18.3% and a 91.7% success rate. Jancic covers the Basic Materials sector, focusing on stocks such as Commercial Metals Company, United States Steel, and Algoma Steel Group.

Currently, the analyst consensus on Nucor is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $183.60, which is a 3.1% upside from current levels. In a report issued on January 29, Citi also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $180.00 price target.

Albemarle (ALB)

Scotiabank analyst Ben Isaacson maintained a Buy rating on Albemarle today and set a price target of $160.00. The company’s shares closed last Tuesday at $120.31, close to its 52-week low of $112.00.

According to TipRanks.com, Isaacson is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 10.2% and a 49.5% success rate. Isaacson covers the Basic Materials sector, focusing on stocks such as Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp., Sociedad Quimica Y Minera SA, and Lithium Americas Corp.

Currently, the analyst consensus on Albemarle is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $153.15, representing a 26.3% upside. In a report issued on January 17, Oppenheimer also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a $191.00 price target.

TipRanks has tracked 36,000 company insiders and found that a few of them are better than others when it comes to timing their transactions. See which 3 stocks are most likely to make moves following their insider activities.

Read More on ASH:

• Ashland to Release Regulatory Disclosure on Investor Site
• Ashland reports financial results1 for first quarter fiscal 2024; issues outlook for second quarter and full-year fiscal 2024
• Ashland Annual Meeting Results: Directors Elected, Accountants Ratified
• Ashland board authorizes quarterly dividend
• Ashland sets date for fiscal 2024 first-quarter earnings release and conference call webcast