FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Methanex Maintained at Buy at TPH Following Q1 Results; Price Target at US$72.00

By

-- Tudor, Pickering, Holt on Friday maintained its buy rating on the shares of Methanex (MX.TO, MEOH) with a US$72.00 price target following the methanol producer's first-quarter results.

"We raise our Q2'26 EBITDA outlook to $562mm from $400mm (vs $471mm consensus) after MEOH surprised to the upside at $220mm in Q1 and offered guidance of $500-525/tonne realized margins for Apr-May, a big step up from $351/tonne in Q1. At the midpoint, MEOH's guidance has realized margins improving +$162/tonne q/q, less than the +$206/tonne q/q move in global spot methanol QTD. Typically MEOH's realizations are >100% of spot. However, management noted that due to typical pricing lags between spot and contract, when spot prices surge up, capture will come down. We see this trend in the historical data as well, and would expect MEOH to catch up when methanol prices eventually fall. Other moving parts in Q2 include a greater contribution from the small ammonia business, with prices at $775/tonne vs $450 in Q1, as well as cheaper US feedstock costs with natgas lower q/q. Even if the Strait were to reopen tomorrow, we believe it would take several quarters to normalize on global methanol production and inventories. We also roll in positive revisions to H2 estimates and now have MEOH at a TPHe 27% FCF yield (15% FCF to EV)," analyst Matthew Blair wrote

(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://www..com/contact-us)

Price: $86.20, Change: $-2.68, Percent Change: -3.02%

Related Articles

Commodities

Weekly Renewable Diesel Prices Climb, Biodiesel, Ethanol Stay Flat, The Digest Says

Weekly retail prices rose for renewable diesel and remained unchanged for biodiesel and ethanol, according to price assessments by The Digest.For the week of April 22 to April 30, biodiesel's Renewable Fuel Standard value of $1.29 per gallon was unchanged from the previous week. Biodiesel's Low Carbon Fuel Standard value of $0.52/gal is equal to a week ago. Additionally, the biofuel's tax credit value at $1/gal and energy value of $3.27/gal were unchanged. Biodiesel's retail price of $6.08/gal on Thursday was the same as a week ago.Renewable diesel's retail price of $7.08/gal this week is up from $6.67/gal a week ago. RD's energy value of $4.26/gal on Thursday, up from $3.85/gal a week ago. The RD's RFS value is $1.29/gal, unchanged from a week ago. Its tax credit value of $1/gal was unchanged over the week. RD's LCFS value is $0.52/gal, unchanged from a week ago.Ethanol's weekly performance was mixed. Its LCFS value of $0.13/gal is unchanged from a week ago. Ethanol's energy value of $0.74/gal and RFS value of $1.13/gal were all flat from a week ago. Also, the retail price of $2/gal is unchanged from a week ago.For sustainable aviation fuel, its energy value at $4.90/gal was below $5.04/gal a week ago. SAF's retail price of $8.25/gal was down from $8.39/gal a week ago. SAF's RFS value was $1.29/gal, unchanged from a week ago. Its LCFS value at $0.52/gal is unchanged from a week ago, and its tax credit value was unchanged at $1.54/gal.Note: These values are for delivery into a US market with a clean-fuel standard. Conventional ethanol is modeled at a Carbon Intensity of 70, while RD, SAF, biodiesel, and cellulosic ethanol are modeled at a CI of 20, and green hydrogen at CI -5. Individual companies or processes may have CI scores that are higher or lower than those used to calculate LCFS credits.

Australia

Apple Well Positioned for Continued Growth After Strong Fiscal Q2, BofA Securities Says

Apple (AAPL) remains well positioned for continued growth through 2026 following a "strong" fiscal Q2, driven by a 22% rise in iPhone revenue, a 28% rebound in China sales and gross margins of 49.3%, BofA Securities said in a note Friday.The company guided for revenue growth of 14% to 17% in fiscal Q3 with gross margins of 47.5% to 48.5% despite memory pricing headwinds and supply constraints, while its installed base of over 2.5 billion devices is expected to support "continued double-digit growth" in services, according to the note.The brokerage cited multiple tailwinds, including better-than-expected global iPhone demand, resilient margins, the expected launch of an artificial intelligence-enabled Siri in 2026 and an anticipated foldable iPhone later this year, along with a planned leadership transition that could sharpen product focus.Apple can manage cost pressures through pricing strategies and product mix, while increasing investments in AI supported by its balance sheet, the brokerage said, adding it is raising fiscal 2026 estimates to $468.7 billion in revenue and $8.61 in earnings per share.BofA Securities reiterated a buy rating on Apple and raised the price target to $330 from $325.Shares of Apple were up more than 4% in Friday trading.Price: $282.88, Change: $+11.53, Percent Change: +4.25%

$AAPL
Australia

Market Chatter: Meta Acquires Assured Robot Intelligence as Part of Humanoid Initiative

Meta Platforms (META) has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a startup that develops artificial intelligence models for robots, as part of its effort to create humanoid technology, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing a company spokesperson.Meta closed the deal Friday, though financial terms were not disclosed, the report said, citing the spokesperson.Meta didn't immediately reply to a request for comment from.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)Price: $614.91, Change: $+3.00, Percent Change: +0.49%

$META