J.P. Morgan Upgrades Lithium Americas as Domestic Lithium Projects Advance

The United States has reached an agreement with Greenland and Denmark that will open the way for the US to permanently expand its military and security role on the island of Greenland, while blocking the influence of adversary nations. The three parties are expected to sign jointly during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, and the new agreement will replace the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement. The US State Department stated that the agreement will prohibit countries that are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, from establishing bases or stationing troops in Greenland, and will also bar non-allied countries from investing in mining and critical minerals. These conditions appear aimed at blocking China or Russia from accessing resources or establishing military footholds in Greenland. President Donald Trump posted a message stressing that the United States will be able to do everything necessary to ensure stability and protect the security of Greenland, as well as that of the United States, and confirmed that this is not a transfer of sovereignty or a cession of territory to the US. Meanwhile, Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Prime Minister of Greenland, confirmed the agreement through a joint statement, with Frederiksen stating that the agreement will help strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region, while affirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the right of Greenlanders to determine their own future.

Albemarle has drawn heightened investor attention after its shares returned -14.3% over the past month, compared with a -1.3% change for the Zacks S&P 500 composite and a 6.3% loss for the Zacks Chemical - Diversified industry. For the current quarter, the company is expected to post earnings of $2.55 per share, a change of +1442.1% from the year-ago quarter, though the Zacks Consensus Estimate has fallen 15.9% over the last 30 days. For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $11.39 points to a change of +1541.8% from the prior year and has declined 4.4% over the past month, while the next fiscal year's estimate of $11.07 indicates a -2.8% change and has slipped 3.9%. The consensus sales estimate of $1.52 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +16.1%, with $6.1 billion and $6.35 billion expected for the current and next fiscal years. Albemarle reported revenues of $1.74 billion in the last reported quarter, up 31.1% year over year, with EPS of $3.75 versus $0.11 a year ago, and carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a Zacks Value Style Score of B.