Cabot (NYSE:CBT) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Cabot Corporation (NYSE:CBT) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $86.43 and last traded at $84.4940, with a volume of 550592 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CBT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Cabot from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Cabot in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cabot from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Cabot from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Cabot from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.25.

Cabot Stock Down 1.8%

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Cabot (NYSE:CBT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.14. Cabot had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 21.33%. The firm had revenue of $904.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $900.31 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Cabot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.50 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Cabot Corporation will post 6.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cabot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.4725 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This is a positive change from Cabot’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.89 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Cabot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cabot

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cabot in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cabot by 598.0% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in Cabot by 170.4% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 411 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Cabot by 227.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 429 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Cabot by 1,606.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 495 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. 93.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cabot Company Profile

Cabot Corporation is a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1882 by Godfrey Lowell Cabot, the company has grown into a diversified manufacturer with operations across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Cabot serves a wide range of end markets, including automotive, industrial, energy, and consumer products, supplying essential ingredients that enhance performance, durability and functionality.

The company operates two primary segments: Reinforcement Materials and Performance Materials.