Livent beats profit estimates, raises forecast on higher lithium demand

This post was originally published on this site

The Philadelphia-based company now expects annual revenue of $755 million to $835 million from its previous forecast of $540 million to $600 million.

Lithium prices have hit record highs as demand for the EV battery metal has surged amid global efforts to decarbonize automobiles to tackle climate change.

Earlier this month, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said lithium is “a limiting factor” in the growth of EVs as he encouraged companies to enter the lithium sector to take advantage of higher prices.

Livent (NYSE:LTHM) posted a net profit of $53.2 million, or 28 cents per share, for the first quarter, compared with a loss of $800,000, or 1 cent per share, a year earlier

Excluding items, the company earned 21 cents per share, beating analysts’ expectations of 14 cents per share, according to Refinitiv data.

“Strong lithium demand growth has continued in 2022,” said Livent CEO Paul Graves in a statement, adding that Livent saw higher realized prices across its entire product portfolio.

Revenue rose 56% to $143.5 million. Analysts on average were expecting revenue of $140.15 million.