Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), one of the world’s largest lithium producers, has just come through a whirlwind few months. After a brutal 2023–early‑2025 downcycle in lithium prices, the stock has roared back — and since 3 December 2025 it’s been at the center of fresh analyst upgrades, shifting institutional positions, and renewed optimism about demand from electric vehicles (EVs), grid‑scale energy storage and even artificial‑intelligence‑driven data centers. Here’s a deep dive into what’s changed since 3 December 2025, what Wall Street is saying now, and how that squares with Albemarle’s fundamentals and the broader lithium market. Where Albemarle stock stands