Research from Water Tower Research, Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research

Research from Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research is a leading equity research firm that provides research on micro, small and mid cap companies.

Water Tower Research was founded by Wall Street veterans after witnessing a fundamental shift in the investment research industry with the result being a declining knowledge base among investors, a lack of awareness and a shrinking pool of fundamental research being conducted on companies across the small-cap and micro-cap spectrum. The same issues are now increasingly occurring in the mid-cap space. This sea change within the investment community is impacting not only the companies themselves but also current shareholders and potential investors. With significantly less active sell-side sponsorship by Wall Street, a substantial information gap has developed between companies and various constituents in the financial community. The net result is fewer channels for insight and information to flow between companies and investors.

Equity Research Firm

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

KEY HIGHLIGHTS


WTR-CMI last week.&nbsp;Our WTR-CMI index of 30 chemicals and materials technology stocks couldn’t keep up with the broader market last week, slipping 0.4% versus the prior week, while the S&amp;P 500 posted a 0.4% appreciation and the Russell 2000 rallied 1.9% for the week. Strong 2Q22 results and a strong outlook drove KWR stock up 15.3% and contributed to MTRN’s 8.6% appreciation, with LAC’s 7.7% improvement rounding out the top performers for the week. ECVT’s larger&nbsp;secondary offering priced at $8.75&nbsp;resulted in a 12.9% pullback for the stock, while VVV declined 11% despite announcing the&nbsp;sale of its Global Products business to Aramco, as investors remained concerned about margin pressures and longer-term prospects for a company still largely focused on ICE vehicle maintenance. EAF’s (9.6%) weekly performance also came courtesy of the outlook it provided on its 2Q22 earnings call, which highlighted slowing steel production and elevated costs.
Economic anxiety growing.&nbsp;Concerns over the&nbsp;impact of reduced gas supply from Russia&nbsp;and its impact on industrial production in the country were recently voiced as a reason for the cautious outlook for the balance of 2022 and into 2023, according to Covestro Germany. In yet another sign of a growing economic slowdown, domestic&nbsp;organic produce volumes declined 2.8%&nbsp;Y/Y in 2Q22, as prices went up 6.7%, indicating that consumers are becoming more price conscious as inflationary pressures heat up. This would not be good news for consumer-centric companies such as SHW, PPG, RPM, and VVV, as customer trade-downs may add mix pressures to the volume and FX headwinds.
Chip crunch prompts greater OEM involvement.&nbsp;As the chip shortage for the automotive industry&nbsp;continues to take a bite out of global production, OEMs are being looked to as reliable funding partners for future semiconductor fabs, as&nbsp;chip manufacturers look to offload some of the funding burden&nbsp;onto the ultimate customer in order to ensure the situation does not repeat once the current crunch is over,&nbsp;sometime in 2023.
LTHM gets prepayment from GM.&nbsp;In the last issue, we highlighted GM’s supply agreement with LTHM and last week we learned that the&nbsp;auto OEM is prepaying LTHM $198 million&nbsp;to ensure a six-year contractual supply—another indication of growing material availability concerns in the EV industry.

WTR-CMI WEEKLY PERFORMANCE


Source: YCharts; August 5 close

Ag-Tech and Bio-Ag
Farmland acres grow globally but shrink in the US.&nbsp;According to a recent article,&nbsp;global farm acreage has increased&nbsp;in 2000’s after the flattish 1980-2000 period, with most of the growth coming from LATAM, India, and former CIS regions, with oilseed crops, particularly soybeans, accounting for most of the increase. Conversely,&nbsp;domestic farm acres shrank&nbsp;over the past two decades, as succession decisions and urban and suburban development are removing 2,000 acres per day from domestic farming and grazing lands. We mentioned this trend in our previous reports and see this as a driver of adoption of newer ag technologies, including precision farming, seed treatment, and bio-based pesticide and fertilizer alternatives, which are all designed to improve yields and minimize environmental impact in order to produce more without needing more farmland. Companies such as BHIL and BIOX, as well as FMC, CTVA, and AVD, stand to benefit as use of inputs/acre grows, with BIOX and FMC being particularly well positioned given their strong LATAM presence and FMC’s over-representation in soybean and rapeseed markets.
As concerns over food scarcity grow, government regulators turn a deaf ear.&nbsp;While the Ukraine/Russia agreement that allowed exports of Ukrainian grain to resume is encouraging, concerns are rising over the 2022-23 Ukrainian crop season.&nbsp;According to the USDA, Ukrainian production of sunflower seeds is expected to decline 37% versus this year, with Ukraine being the number one producer of sunflower seeds. The report also predicts a 35% Y/Y decline in wheat production in the 2022-23 season (Ukraine is the ninth-largest wheat producer in the world) and a whopping 54% drop in the country’s corn production (Ukraine is the sixth-largest corn producer in the world). And that’s if the war’s impact on Ukraine’s farming heartland doesn’t get worse! As a major exporter of grain and ag products, Ukraine’s limited ability to export foodstuff this year and uncertainty over supply next season is raising concerns among major importing regions such as India, Africa, and Asia as to their ability to provide sufficient food for their populace.
It would seem that in this environment, governments would be doing all they could to ensure the adequate supply of ag products to the global market, or at least their own. However, that may not be the case. As we highlighted in the last issue, Netherlands regulators are putting environmental regulations in place that would raise the cost (if not make it outright impossible) for smaller Dutch farmers to continue to produce, which has led to widespread farmer demonstrations across the country. Holland may not be alone in this drive to reduce farming’s impact on the environment at any cost. Its example&nbsp;may be followed by Canada and Ireland&nbsp;and there is concern that similar environmental rules, which seem to be specifically aimed at farming, may come to the US, given the green agenda of the current administration. Tone deaf does not begin to describe these initiatives and efforts, in our opinion.
Automotive &amp; Transportation
July picks up where June left off.&nbsp;The top three economies in Europe are reporting another Y/Y decline in July new car registrations.&nbsp;Germany saw a 13% drop, while&nbsp;the UK posted a slightly less onerous 9% Y/Y&nbsp;decline in new car registrations last month.&nbsp;French registrations&nbsp;also declined, but at a slightly slower 7% pace. And while the impact of chip shortages is waning on a Y/Y basis as we mentioned previously and the Y/Y declines in registrations may also show better comps in 2H22, a recovery in demand still lies beyond the line of sight, as new obstacles replace the old concerns. Gas rationing in Europe due to Russia’s influence over gas supply to the region, higher model prices as OEMs work to preserve margins in&nbsp;a rising cost environment, and slowing the economy’s impact on consumer confidence&nbsp;are likely to continue to weigh on auto production and sales well into 2023. BMW for example, while looking for a recovery in 2H22, had to reduce its full-year 2022 outlook&nbsp;given the slower 1H22 and uncertainty and volatility of economic and geopolitical factors that make more optimistic predictions difficult at this time.
We continue to see risk for companies in our index with high exposure to the automotive and transportation sectors, including PPG, AXTA, and to a lesser extent, AVNT, FUL, and HXL.
Battery Materials &amp; EV Transformation
Technology, methods, and supply chain continue to evolve.&nbsp;Global&nbsp;automotive manufacturers and their suppliers are looking to invest half a trillion dollars&nbsp;over the next several years in order to prepare the industry to transition to an EV architecture more fully. The investments range from new EV factories, battery cell and battery plants, new and expanded mining and conversion plant infrastructure for critical materials, and the growing realization of the need to reduce the industry’s dependence on China as the primary source EV-related supply. The recent&nbsp;decision by CATL to delay&nbsp;finalizing its plans for a North American battery plant underscores those concerns. It can therefore be seen as a sign of desperate times that&nbsp;Tesla felt it necessary to sign supply agreements with two Chinese cobalt processors&nbsp;in an effort to ensure it has adequate access to that important battery metal. Can one blame it given&nbsp;the outlook for cobalt?
Looking high and low for critical materials.&nbsp;Almost every long-term projection of EV growth and corresponding growth in critical metals needed for EV batteries includes a widening disparity between expected demand and available, highly probable, and even somewhat probable supply for most of these materials—lithium first and foremost. It is not surprising then that both auto OEMs and battery companies are looking to sign supply deals with existing and even speculative suppliers. Case in point is the recent announcement of a&nbsp;supply agreement between Prime Planet Energy &amp; Solutions, the battery joint venture of Toyota and Panasonic, and Ioneer Ltd.&nbsp;(OTC: GSCCF), a development-stage company whose lithium production plant isn’t expected to commence construction until 4Q22, with an uncertain timeline to commercial production. Another source of critical materials for batteries is end-of-life EV batteries themselves. In the spirit of environmental responsibility and a circular economy,&nbsp;Ascend Elements has announced plans to invest up to $1 billion&nbsp;in a factory in Kentucky for the production of battery cathode materials for EVs. The plant will use black mass from recycled batteries to directly produce cathode materials for the EV market. Production is scheduled to start at the end of 2023, with capacity to produce enough cathode materials for 250,000 EVs annually. Similarly, British battery developer&nbsp;Nexeon secured more than $200 million in funding&nbsp;to develop its battery materials manufacturing operations for the production of silicone-based anode materials for EV batteries, showing that it’s not just the cathode-side metals, such as lithium and cobalt, that are subject to supply concerns and therefore provide opportunities for funding and growth. We also note that one of the companies in our WTR-CMI index, namely&nbsp;NGVT, took part in this round of funding&nbsp;for Nexeon.
Graphite market update.&nbsp;Speaking of anode materials, an often overlooked part of an EV battery is the graphite that goes into the battery anode. As with other critical battery materials, a severe shortage of supply versus projected demand is envisioned for the graphite market. However, until now, this pending imbalance appears to be getting little attention from investors. As the realization that the EV industry is 100% dependent on China for&nbsp;battery-grade graphite spreads, we believe this lack of attention will be addressed. One company that is looking to launch domestic production of battery-grade graphite materials is Westwater Resources (NYSE: WWR). We recently hosted a fireside chat with WWR management to discuss this apparent lack of investor understanding of the supply-demand imbalance and overreliance on China (see link below). The company will update investors on its progress Thursday, August 11 at 11:00 am EDT when management will host its 2Q22 call.
Chemicals and Materials Technology in the News
NGVT.&nbsp;In addition to making an aforementioned investment in Nexeon, the company also announced the&nbsp;acquisition of privately owned Ozark Materials, LLC and Ozark Logistics, LLC (“Ozark Materials”)&nbsp;for $325 million. The acquisition is expected to close by early 4Q22. The acquired business is on pace for annual revenues of approximately $150 million, with a ~20% EBITDA margin in FY23.
MTRN.&nbsp;The company announced that it has established a new facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to accelerate the growth of advanced chemical solutions for the semiconductor and EV battery markets. The new 150,000-square-foot facility expands the company’s capacity to produce Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) materials for the most sophisticated semiconductor chips and provide advanced chemicals for the development of next-generation battery technology for EVs.
Circular Economy.&nbsp;Green Dot Bioplastics, a developer and supplier of bioplastic materials for innovative, sustainable end-uses,&nbsp;announced an addition of nine new grades of bioplastics&nbsp;aimed at single-use and plastic packaging markets, as the industry looks to adjust to increasingly strict government mandates and regulations related to single-use plastics. In an effort to support similar conversions, in this case to post-consumer recycled plastics,&nbsp;AVNT announced its post-consumer recycled (PCR) Color Prediction Service&nbsp;for polyolefins and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins as well as its new polyolefin antioxidants, Cesa Nox A4R Additives for recycled plastics, thereby lowering adoption obstacles for consumers looking to incorporate post-consumer recycled plastic into their product designs.
EAF.&nbsp;While GrafTech’s 2Q22 results and guidance for the balance of 2022 left analysts and investors unimpressed with the company’s near-term margin and volume headwinds, investors may be missing the longer-term prospects for the company as its graphite electrodes going into electric ark furnaces (EAF) are enabling a transition from high carbon-producing coal furnaces to less environmentally impactful EAF technologies, which also use steel scrap, rather than iron ore, as a raw material.&nbsp;A recent study confirming the lower carbon-generating benefits of EAF&nbsp;versus conventional smelters underscores the environmental tailwind investors may be missing in evaluating EAF’s current volume issues in an environment of declining steel production globally.
Rating and Price Target Changes
ALB –&nbsp;UBS raised its price target (PT) to $265 from $218 but maintained its Neutral rating; Oppenheimer raised its PT to $440 from $368 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
CTVA –&nbsp;Credit Suisse raised its PT to $72 from $68 and reiterated its Outperform rating; UBS raised its PT to $66 from $64 and reiterated its Buy recommendation; CFRA lowered its PT to $61 from $65 and maintained its Hold rating.
EMN –&nbsp;CFRA reiterated its Buy rating and $125 PT; Citigroup downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy; KeyBank raised its PT to $125 from $124 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $115 from $125 and reiterated its Buy rating; Stifel Nicolaus lowered its PT to $134 from $155 and reiterated its Buy rating; Barclays lowered its PT to $110 from $120 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $110 from $115 and reiterated its Overweight rating; RBC raised its PT to $97 from $94 and maintained its Sector Perform rating.
FMC –&nbsp;Credit Suisse lowered its PT to $105 from $109 and reiterated its Underperform rating; CFRA lowered its PT to $120 from $126 and maintained its Hold rating; Mizuho Securities lowered its PT to $144 from $149 and reiterated its Buy rating.
FUL –&nbsp;Berenberg Bank lowered its PT to $82 from $85 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.
HXL –&nbsp;BMO raised its PT to $66 from $57 and maintained its Market Perform rating.
LTHM –&nbsp;CFRA lowered its PT to $28 from $36 and reiterated its Buy rating; Mizuho Securities lowered its PT to $30 from $34 and maintained its Neutral rating; Deutsche Bank raised its PT to $26 from $24 and maintained its Hold rating.
VVV –&nbsp;CFRA downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy and maintained its $34 PT.
Recent WTR Publications and Upcoming Events
Fireside Chat with Management of Westwater Resources, Inc.
Initiation of Coverage – Westwater Resources, Inc.
Management Series Report – Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. CEO Kevin Helash
Management Series Report – Westwater Resources, Inc. Executive Chairman Terence Cryan and CAO Steven Cates
DISCLOSURES

Water Tower Research (“WTR”) is a professional publisher of investment research reports on public companies and, to a lesser extent, private firms (“the Companies”). WTR provides investor-focused content and digital distribution strategies designed to help companies communicate with investors.  WTR is not a registered investment adviser or a broker/dealer nor does WTR provide investment banking services. WTR operates as an exempt investment adviser under the so called “publishers’ exemption” from the definition of investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. WTR does not provide investment ratings / recommendations or price targets on the companies it reports on. Readers are advised that the research reports are published and provided solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities or the rendering of investment advice. The information provided in this report should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as personalized advice. All users and readers of WTR’s reports are cautioned to consult their own independent financial, tax and legal advisors prior to purchasing or selling securities.  Dmitry Silversteyn, who is the writer of this report, covers the BioEconomy and Chemicals &amp; Materials Technology sectors for WTR. Mr. Silversteyn and members of his household have no personal or business-related relationship to the subject company other than providing digital content and any ancillary services WTR may offer.  Unless otherwise indicated, WTR intends to provide continuing coverage of the covered companies. WTR will notify its readers through website postings or other appropriate means if WTR determines to terminate coverage of any of the companies covered.  In certain instances, including this report, WTR will write research covering non-clients. Readers should assume that WTR may seek to turn these non-paying companies into paying clients. Likewise, WTR may seek to transform these non-clients into paying clients of it or of its affiliate, which provides services such as presenting at sponsored investor conferences, distributing press releases, advising on investor relations and broader corporate communications and public relations strategies as well as performing certain other related services (“Ancillary Services”). The companies that WTR covers in our research are not required to purchase or use Ancillary Services of WTR or an affiliate might offer to clients.  The manner of WTR’s potential research compensation and Ancillary Services to covered companies raise actual and perceived conflicts of interest. WTR is committed to manage those conflicts to protect its reputation and the objectivity of employees/analysts by adhering to strictly written compliance guidelines.  The views and analyses included in our research reports are based on current public information that we consider to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to their accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or correctness. Neither we nor our analysts, directors, officers, employees, representatives, independent contractors or agents shall be liable for any omissions, errors or inaccuracies, regardless of cause, foreseeability or the lack of timeliness of, or any delay or interruptions in the transmission of our reports to content users. This lack of liability extends to direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, compensatory, punitive, special or consequential damages, costs, expenses, legal fees, losses, lost income, lost profit or opportunity costs.  All investment information contained herein should be independently verified by the reader or user of this report. For additional information, all readers of this report are encouraged to visit WTR’s website www.watertowerresearch.com.

Mat-Chem Notes for the Week Ended August 7, 2022

<h2>KEY HIGHLIGHTS</h2>
<div></div>
<ul>
<li>WTR-CMI last week.&nbsp;In what was another positive week for the stock market, both the Russell 2000 and S&amp;P 500 appreciated 4.3% versus week-ago levels, while our WTR-CMI index of 30 chemicals and materials technology stocks outperformed the broader market with a 4.9% return. Lithium stocks once again led our index higher, as PLL, LAC, and ALB benefited from improved investor sentiment on lithium demand and, more importantly, pricing by appreciating 21.1%, 12.3% and 10.3%, respectively. LTHM, while not quite keeping up the pace with an 8.9% improvement,&nbsp;signed a long-term lithium hydroxide supply agreement with GM, which also signed a&nbsp;long-term supply deal with South Korean LG Chem for battery cathodes. At the other end of the performance spectrum, SHW disappointed investors with its 2H22 guidance and saw its stock decline 6.6% for the week, with ASH’s 4.1% decline following an earnings beat and raise bounce the prior week and AXTA posting a 3.3% decline as its 2Q22 earrings and guidance left investors unimpressed, while the&nbsp;CEO transition, which the company announced at the same time, may also have contributed to shareholder unease.</li>
<li>Ford touts sufficient materials for EV push.&nbsp;Like many auto OEMs, Ford is not leaving the fate of its EV transition in the hands of Tier-I suppliers and instead is signing supply agreements directly with critical materials suppliers. The company recently&nbsp;announced sufficient lithium and nickel supply contracts&nbsp;to support its projected EV production into 2026.</li>
<li>China’s July new car sales continue to rebound.&nbsp;China Automobile Dealers Association expects the country’s new car sales&nbsp;to follow June’s trend of Y/Y improvement with an 18% Y/Y increase in July, as COVID lockdown restrictions continue to ease and the government’s incentives for gasoline powered vehicles kick in. NEV vehicle growth is expected to top 100% Y/Y as well.</li>
<li>MTRN commissions commercial plant.&nbsp;Materion and Kairos Power have&nbsp;jointly commissioned a Molten Salt Purification Plant (MSPP)&nbsp;for the production of beryllium fluoride and lithium fluoride for use as heat transfer fluid for the Kairos’ next generation Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (KP-FHR) nuclear reactors.</li>
</ul>
<h2>WTR-CMI WEEKLY PERFORMANCE</h2>
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/290/054/original/image_444686316221659573234657.png?1659573237" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="290054"></figure>
<h2>Ag-Tech and Bio-Ag</h2>
<p>Fertilizer availability (and price) remains a concern heading into 2023.&nbsp;Although fertilizer prices have come off the recent highs,&nbsp;they remain at multi-year high levels heading into the 2023 season. And it doesn’t look like prices will get much lower prior to the time farmers may want to think about locking in at least some supply at prevailing prices. Concerns remain regarding European production, particularly for nitrogen fertilizers (ammonia and urea) due to reductions in Russian-supplied natural gas and the resulting impact on both volume of fertilizer production and the cost of fertilizers in Europe. Adding further concerns is the possibility that China, which is a large producer and exporter of fertilizers, may reduce its exports due to high energy costs and increased domestic demand. Therefore, while US farmers may continue to struggle to secure sufficient supply of chemical fertilizers at acceptable prices next year yet again, the situation may also provide opportunities for American-based companies, such as CF Industries (NYSE: CF), to increase their market share and maintain elevated prices that should contribute to stronger margins. It may also create an opportunity for bio-based fertilizer companies to expand their market share.</p>
<h2>Automotive &amp; Transportation</h2>
<p>High natural gas prices and uncertain availability to affect German production.&nbsp;As Russia continues to play games with natural gas supplies to Europe, the region’s governments are asking their industries to work to reduce the use of natural gas for the time being.&nbsp;The German automotive industry is not an exception, and while steps to reduce gas use have been or are being take, the industry warns that they are temporary and further reductions would require easing of emission regulations and even then, may affect output. This may suggest continuing struggles for the European automotive market to regain its stride after two years of downward volatility. Meanwhile, commercial vehicle registrations in Europe&nbsp;continued to decline, posting a 22.5% drop Y/Y in June, with first half of the year registrations down 20.3% Y/Y.</p>
<p>Toyota struggles with production in Japan.&nbsp;The company had to&nbsp;suspend night shift production&nbsp;at one of its plants in Japan on re-emerging COVID concerns and continues to see domestic production decline as a result of supply chain disruptions and COVID protocols. The company has been able to&nbsp;offset reduced domestic production with higher output from its global network outside Japan, with foreign plant output growing 5.6% Y/Y through June, helping to offset an 18% plunge in Japanese plants’ output. Still, for the first six months of 2022, Toyota saw its total global output decline almost 4% Y/Y.</p>
<p>With car builds still down in most geographies Y/Y and likely to finish 2022 below 2021 levels, companies in our index with significant exposure to the automotive and transportation markets may continue to struggle with top-line growth despite higher prices, as sluggish volumes and negative FX headwind combined with still elevated raw material costs offset internal cost savings efforts and pricing initiatives leading to top-line and margin performance that may disappoint versus current forecasts. We therefore remain cautious on PPG and AXTA and, to a lesser extent, on HXL, AVNT, and FUL.</p>
<h2>Rating and Price Target Changes</h2>
<p>ALB –&nbsp;RBC raised its price target (PT) to $331 from $324 and reiterated its Outperform rating.</p>
<p>ASH –&nbsp;UBS raised its PT to $131 from $127 and reiterated its Buy rating; Wells Fargo also raised its PT to $110 from $107 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; BMO likewise raised its PT to $135 from $129 and reiterated its Outperform rating.</p>
<p>AVNT –&nbsp;Baird lowered its PT to $56 from $63 and reiterated its Outperform rating; Stifel also lowered its PT to $70 from $76 and reiterated its Buy recommendation; Morgan Stanley lowered its PT to $50 from $63 and maintained its Equal Weight recommendation.</p>
<p>AXTA –&nbsp;KeyBank raised its PT to $31 from $30 and reiterated its Overweight rating; JP Morgan lowered its PT to $32 from $35, while reiterating its Overweight rating; Wells Fargo raised its PT to $26 from $25 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; Baird lowered its PT to $53 from $38 and reiterated its Outperform rating.</p>
<p>CTVA –&nbsp;Mizuho Securities raised its PT to $68 from $67 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.</p>
<p>ECL –&nbsp;Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $180 from $195 and reiterated its Buy rating; BMO lowered its PT to $172 from $181 and maintained its Market Perform rating; Mizuho Securities lowered its PT to $178 from $183 and maintained its Neutral rating; Baird lowered its PT to $171 from $193 and reiterated its Outperform rating; UBS lowered its PT to $198 from $205 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.</p>
<p>EMN –&nbsp;UBS lowered its PT to $118 from $121 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.</p>
<p>FMC –&nbsp;RBC lowered its PT to $139 from $152 and reiterated its Outperform rating; Mizuho Securities lowered its PT to $149 from $155 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.</p>
<p>HXL –&nbsp;Vertical Research raised its PT to $60 from $58 and reiterated its Buy rating; Morgan Stanley raised its PT to $59 from $57 and reiterated its Underweight recommendation.</p>
<p>PPG –&nbsp;Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $150 from $15 and reiterated its Buy rating; Wells Fargo raised its PT to $135 from $126 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; Mizuho Securities raised its PT to $163 from $162 and reiterated its Buy rating.</p>
<p>RPM –&nbsp;UBS raised its PT to $99 from $96 and reiterated its Buy rating; RBC raised its PT to $89 from $86 and maintained its Sector Perform rating.</p>
<p>SHW –&nbsp;KeyBank lowered its PT to $290 from $335 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $275 from $315 and reiterated its Buy rating; BMO lowered its PT to $251 from $274 and maintained its Market Perform rating; Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $250 from $274 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; JP Morgan lowered its PT to $275 from $300 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Morgan Stanley lowered its PT to $300 from $330 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Credit Suisse lowered its PT to $225 from $245 and reiterated its Underperform rating; UBS lowered its PT to $257 from $265 and maintained its Neutral rating; Vertical Research raised its PT to $252 from $241 and maintained its Hold rating; Berenberg Bank lowered its PT to $250 from $285 and maintained its Hold rating; RBC lowered its PT to 300 from $312 and reiterated its Outperform rating.</p>
<h2>Recent WTR Publications and Upcoming Events</h2>
<h3>Upcoming</h3>
<p>Fireside Chat with Management of Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE: WWR) – August 4 at 11:00 am EDT</p>
<h3>Recent Publications</h3>
<p>Management Series Report – Marrone Bio Innovations CEO Kevin Helash</p>
<p>Management Series Report – Westwater Resources Executive Chairman Terence Cryan and CAO Steven Cates</p>
<p>Initiation of Coverage – Westwater Resources, Inc.</p>
<h3>DISCLOSURES</h3>
<div></div>
<p>Water Tower Research (“WTR”) is a professional publisher of investment research reports on public companies and, to a lesser extent, private firms (“the Companies”). WTR provides investor-focused content and digital distribution strategies designed to help companies communicate with investors.<br><br>WTR is not a registered investment adviser or a broker/dealer nor does WTR provide investment banking services. WTR operates as an exempt investment adviser under the so called “publishers’ exemption” from the definition of investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. WTR does not provide investment ratings / recommendations or price targets on the companies it reports on. Readers are advised that the research reports are published and provided solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities or the rendering of investment advice. The information provided in this report should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as personalized advice. All users and readers of WTR’s reports are cautioned to consult their own independent financial, tax and legal advisors prior to purchasing or selling securities.<br><br>Dmitry Silversteyn, who is the writer of this report, covers the Chemicals &amp; Materials Technology and BioEconomy sectors for WTR. Mr. Silversteyn and members of his household have no personal or business-related relationship to the subject company other than providing digital content and any ancillary services WTR may offer.<br><br>Unless otherwise indicated, WTR intends to provide continuing coverage of the covered companies. WTR will notify its readers through website postings or other appropriate means if WTR determines to terminate coverage of any of the companies covered.<br><br>In certain instances, including this report, WTR will write research covering non-clients. Readers should assume that WTR may seek to turn these non-paying companies into paying clients. Likewise, WTR may seek to transform these non-clients into paying clients of it or of its affiliate, which provides services such as presenting at sponsored investor conferences, distributing press releases, advising on investor relations and broader corporate communications and public relations strategies as well as performing certain other related services (“Ancillary Services”). The companies that WTR covers in our research are not required to purchase or use Ancillary Services of WTR or an affiliate might offer to clients.<br><br>The manner of WTR’s potential research compensation and Ancillary Services to covered companies raise actual and perceived conflicts of interest. WTR is committed to manage those conflicts to protect its reputation and the objectivity of employees/analysts by adhering to strictly written compliance guidelines.<br><br>The views and analyses included in our research reports are based on current public information that we consider to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to their accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or correctness. Neither we nor our analysts, directors, officers, employees, representatives, independent contractors or agents shall be liable for any omissions, errors or inaccuracies, regardless of cause, foreseeability or the lack of timeliness of, or any delay or interruptions in the transmission of our reports to content users. This lack of liability extends to direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, compensatory, punitive, special or consequential damages, costs, expenses, legal fees, losses, lost income, lost profit or opportunity costs.<br><br>All investment information contained herein should be independently verified by the reader or user of this report. For additional information, all readers of this report are encouraged to visit WTR’s website www.watertowerresearch.com.</p>

KEY HIGHLIGHTS


WTR-CMI last week.&nbsp;In what was another positive week for the stock market, both the Russell 2000 and S&amp;P 500 appreciated 4.3% versus week-ago levels, while our WTR-CMI index of 30 chemicals and materials technology stocks outperformed the broader market with a 4.9% return. Lithium stocks once again led our index higher, as PLL, LAC, and ALB benefited from improved investor sentiment on lithium demand and, more importantly, pricing by appreciating 21.1%, 12.3% and 10.3%, respectively. LTHM, while not quite keeping up the pace with an 8.9% improvement,&nbsp;signed a long-term lithium hydroxide supply agreement with GM, which also signed a&nbsp;long-term supply deal with South Korean LG Chem for battery cathodes. At the other end of the performance spectrum, SHW disappointed investors with its 2H22 guidance and saw its stock decline 6.6% for the week, with ASH’s 4.1% decline following an earnings beat and raise bounce the prior week and AXTA posting a 3.3% decline as its 2Q22 earrings and guidance left investors unimpressed, while the&nbsp;CEO transition, which the company announced at the same time, may also have contributed to shareholder unease.
Ford touts sufficient materials for EV push.&nbsp;Like many auto OEMs, Ford is not leaving the fate of its EV transition in the hands of Tier-I suppliers and instead is signing supply agreements directly with critical materials suppliers. The company recently&nbsp;announced sufficient lithium and nickel supply contracts&nbsp;to support its projected EV production into 2026.
China’s July new car sales continue to rebound.&nbsp;China Automobile Dealers Association expects the country’s new car sales&nbsp;to follow June’s trend of Y/Y improvement with an 18% Y/Y increase in July, as COVID lockdown restrictions continue to ease and the government’s incentives for gasoline powered vehicles kick in. NEV vehicle growth is expected to top 100% Y/Y as well.
MTRN commissions commercial plant.&nbsp;Materion and Kairos Power have&nbsp;jointly commissioned a Molten Salt Purification Plant (MSPP)&nbsp;for the production of beryllium fluoride and lithium fluoride for use as heat transfer fluid for the Kairos’ next generation Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (KP-FHR) nuclear reactors.

WTR-CMI WEEKLY PERFORMANCE

Ag-Tech and Bio-Ag
Fertilizer availability (and price) remains a concern heading into 2023.&nbsp;Although fertilizer prices have come off the recent highs,&nbsp;they remain at multi-year high levels heading into the 2023 season. And it doesn’t look like prices will get much lower prior to the time farmers may want to think about locking in at least some supply at prevailing prices. Concerns remain regarding European production, particularly for nitrogen fertilizers (ammonia and urea) due to reductions in Russian-supplied natural gas and the resulting impact on both volume of fertilizer production and the cost of fertilizers in Europe. Adding further concerns is the possibility that China, which is a large producer and exporter of fertilizers, may reduce its exports due to high energy costs and increased domestic demand. Therefore, while US farmers may continue to struggle to secure sufficient supply of chemical fertilizers at acceptable prices next year yet again, the situation may also provide opportunities for American-based companies, such as CF Industries (NYSE: CF), to increase their market share and maintain elevated prices that should contribute to stronger margins. It may also create an opportunity for bio-based fertilizer companies to expand their market share.
Automotive &amp; Transportation
High natural gas prices and uncertain availability to affect German production.&nbsp;As Russia continues to play games with natural gas supplies to Europe, the region’s governments are asking their industries to work to reduce the use of natural gas for the time being.&nbsp;The German automotive industry is not an exception, and while steps to reduce gas use have been or are being take, the industry warns that they are temporary and further reductions would require easing of emission regulations and even then, may affect output. This may suggest continuing struggles for the European automotive market to regain its stride after two years of downward volatility. Meanwhile, commercial vehicle registrations in Europe&nbsp;continued to decline, posting a 22.5% drop Y/Y in June, with first half of the year registrations down 20.3% Y/Y.
Toyota struggles with production in Japan.&nbsp;The company had to&nbsp;suspend night shift production&nbsp;at one of its plants in Japan on re-emerging COVID concerns and continues to see domestic production decline as a result of supply chain disruptions and COVID protocols. The company has been able to&nbsp;offset reduced domestic production with higher output from its global network outside Japan, with foreign plant output growing 5.6% Y/Y through June, helping to offset an 18% plunge in Japanese plants’ output. Still, for the first six months of 2022, Toyota saw its total global output decline almost 4% Y/Y.
With car builds still down in most geographies Y/Y and likely to finish 2022 below 2021 levels, companies in our index with significant exposure to the automotive and transportation markets may continue to struggle with top-line growth despite higher prices, as sluggish volumes and negative FX headwind combined with still elevated raw material costs offset internal cost savings efforts and pricing initiatives leading to top-line and margin performance that may disappoint versus current forecasts. We therefore remain cautious on PPG and AXTA and, to a lesser extent, on HXL, AVNT, and FUL.
Rating and Price Target Changes
ALB –&nbsp;RBC raised its price target (PT) to $331 from $324 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
ASH –&nbsp;UBS raised its PT to $131 from $127 and reiterated its Buy rating; Wells Fargo also raised its PT to $110 from $107 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; BMO likewise raised its PT to $135 from $129 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
AVNT –&nbsp;Baird lowered its PT to $56 from $63 and reiterated its Outperform rating; Stifel also lowered its PT to $70 from $76 and reiterated its Buy recommendation; Morgan Stanley lowered its PT to $50 from $63 and maintained its Equal Weight recommendation.
AXTA –&nbsp;KeyBank raised its PT to $31 from $30 and reiterated its Overweight rating; JP Morgan lowered its PT to $32 from $35, while reiterating its Overweight rating; Wells Fargo raised its PT to $26 from $25 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; Baird lowered its PT to $53 from $38 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
CTVA –&nbsp;Mizuho Securities raised its PT to $68 from $67 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.
ECL –&nbsp;Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $180 from $195 and reiterated its Buy rating; BMO lowered its PT to $172 from $181 and maintained its Market Perform rating; Mizuho Securities lowered its PT to $178 from $183 and maintained its Neutral rating; Baird lowered its PT to $171 from $193 and reiterated its Outperform rating; UBS lowered its PT to $198 from $205 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.
EMN –&nbsp;UBS lowered its PT to $118 from $121 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.
FMC –&nbsp;RBC lowered its PT to $139 from $152 and reiterated its Outperform rating; Mizuho Securities lowered its PT to $149 from $155 and reiterated its Buy recommendation.
HXL –&nbsp;Vertical Research raised its PT to $60 from $58 and reiterated its Buy rating; Morgan Stanley raised its PT to $59 from $57 and reiterated its Underweight recommendation.
PPG –&nbsp;Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $150 from $15 and reiterated its Buy rating; Wells Fargo raised its PT to $135 from $126 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; Mizuho Securities raised its PT to $163 from $162 and reiterated its Buy rating.
RPM –&nbsp;UBS raised its PT to $99 from $96 and reiterated its Buy rating; RBC raised its PT to $89 from $86 and maintained its Sector Perform rating.
SHW –&nbsp;KeyBank lowered its PT to $290 from $335 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Deutsche Bank lowered its PT to $275 from $315 and reiterated its Buy rating; BMO lowered its PT to $251 from $274 and maintained its Market Perform rating; Wells Fargo lowered its PT to $250 from $274 and maintained its Equal Weight rating; JP Morgan lowered its PT to $275 from $300 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Morgan Stanley lowered its PT to $300 from $330 and reiterated its Overweight rating; Credit Suisse lowered its PT to $225 from $245 and reiterated its Underperform rating; UBS lowered its PT to $257 from $265 and maintained its Neutral rating; Vertical Research raised its PT to $252 from $241 and maintained its Hold rating; Berenberg Bank lowered its PT to $250 from $285 and maintained its Hold rating; RBC lowered its PT to 300 from $312 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
Recent WTR Publications and Upcoming Events
Upcoming
Fireside Chat with Management of Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE: WWR) – August 4 at 11:00 am EDT
Recent Publications
Management Series Report – Marrone Bio Innovations CEO Kevin Helash
Management Series Report – Westwater Resources Executive Chairman Terence Cryan and CAO Steven Cates
Initiation of Coverage – Westwater Resources, Inc.
DISCLOSURES

Water Tower Research (“WTR”) is a professional publisher of investment research reports on public companies and, to a lesser extent, private firms (“the Companies”). WTR provides investor-focused content and digital distribution strategies designed to help companies communicate with investors.  WTR is not a registered investment adviser or a broker/dealer nor does WTR provide investment banking services. WTR operates as an exempt investment adviser under the so called “publishers’ exemption” from the definition of investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. WTR does not provide investment ratings / recommendations or price targets on the companies it reports on. Readers are advised that the research reports are published and provided solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities or the rendering of investment advice. The information provided in this report should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as personalized advice. All users and readers of WTR’s reports are cautioned to consult their own independent financial, tax and legal advisors prior to purchasing or selling securities.  Dmitry Silversteyn, who is the writer of this report, covers the Chemicals &amp; Materials Technology and BioEconomy sectors for WTR. Mr. Silversteyn and members of his household have no personal or business-related relationship to the subject company other than providing digital content and any ancillary services WTR may offer.  Unless otherwise indicated, WTR intends to provide continuing coverage of the covered companies. WTR will notify its readers through website postings or other appropriate means if WTR determines to terminate coverage of any of the companies covered.  In certain instances, including this report, WTR will write research covering non-clients. Readers should assume that WTR may seek to turn these non-paying companies into paying clients. Likewise, WTR may seek to transform these non-clients into paying clients of it or of its affiliate, which provides services such as presenting at sponsored investor conferences, distributing press releases, advising on investor relations and broader corporate communications and public relations strategies as well as performing certain other related services (“Ancillary Services”). The companies that WTR covers in our research are not required to purchase or use Ancillary Services of WTR or an affiliate might offer to clients.  The manner of WTR’s potential research compensation and Ancillary Services to covered companies raise actual and perceived conflicts of interest. WTR is committed to manage those conflicts to protect its reputation and the objectivity of employees/analysts by adhering to strictly written compliance guidelines.  The views and analyses included in our research reports are based on current public information that we consider to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to their accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or correctness. Neither we nor our analysts, directors, officers, employees, representatives, independent contractors or agents shall be liable for any omissions, errors or inaccuracies, regardless of cause, foreseeability or the lack of timeliness of, or any delay or interruptions in the transmission of our reports to content users. This lack of liability extends to direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, compensatory, punitive, special or consequential damages, costs, expenses, legal fees, losses, lost income, lost profit or opportunity costs.  All investment information contained herein should be independently verified by the reader or user of this report. For additional information, all readers of this report are encouraged to visit WTR’s website www.watertowerresearch.com.

Mat-Chem Notes for the Week Ended July 31, 2022

<h2>KEY HIGHLIGHTS</h2>
<p>WTR-CMI last week. The Russell 2000 led the way last week with a 1.4% appreciation. Our WTR-CMI index of chemicals and materials technology companies almost kept apace by rising 1.3%, and handily outperformed the S&amp;P 500, which fell 1.8%.</p>
<p>Winners and losers. Last week saw a rash of earnings releases and guidance for 2022, and, as is their wont, stock prices moved based on those announcements. AVNT surged 9.1% after delivering stronger-than-expected revenues and profits and providing a solid outlook for 2022. Similarly, strong results and outlook for the ag market -in 2022 resulted in FMC appreciating 6.9%. ALB and LAC rose 6.9% and 5.7%, respectively, continuing to benefit from record high lithium prices and strong demand, as well as concerns of near-term supply deficit in the rapidly growing EV market. Conversely, CMP missed expectations in F1Q22 (Dec-22) and its guidance for F2022 did not live up to expectations, so the stock slipped 4.1%. A rash of price target reductions by investment banks dragged SHW (3.1%) down. EAF’s results were likewise uninspiring, leading to a (2.7%) fall.</p>
<p>Teaching an old dog new tricks. Valvoline, a top-3 domestic supplier of engine lubes and liquids, recently unveiled its&nbsp;suite of offerings for the burgeoning EV market. For several years now, investors have been growing concerned over the long-term viability of VVV’s business model, given its almost-exclusive focus on internal combustion and diesel engines. While the company has been claiming that, as a regular and preventive maintenance provider, it can successfully manage the transition to EVs—given that they, too, need periodically replaced parts and fluids to operate properly—this announcement, which formalizes the process, may allay some concerns.</p>
<p>Industry consolidation. PPG announced the acquisition of the&nbsp;powder coatings business of Arsonsisi, an industrial coatings company based in Milan, Italy, with 2021 sales of ~$15 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Elsewhere, ALB signed a&nbsp;non-binding agreement with Mineral Resources&nbsp;(ASX: MIN) to explore a potential expansion of the MARBL Lithium JV.</p>
<h3>WTR-CMI WEEKLY PERFORMANCE</h3>
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/257/866/original/image_79402182221645137364342.png?1645137367" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="257866"></figure>
<h3>Lithium &amp; EV Ecosystem Developments</h3>
<p>The EV market isn’t immune to chip shortages. The global semiconductor shortage, and the disruption in the supply of other critical components for the automotive industry, continue to plague the EV market (see below). To be sure, production doubled in 2021 vs. 2020, but the market has not been completely shielded from supply disruptions either. Thus, last week,&nbsp;Volkswagen has implemented a quota system&nbsp;in its German retail network for its ID battery-electric cars amid the chips crunch, and has paused production of EVs at its plants in Zwickau and Dresden, Germany.</p>
<p>Circular economy imperatives drive recycling need. Despite the aforementioned impact of supply-chain disruptions, the EV revolution is expected to accelerate, which would require more lithium-ion batteries and lithium mineral. As we mentioned in our previous weeklies, for EVs to fulfill their sustainability mission, lithium mining and refining must also reduce their impact on the environment. One way to accomplish this is to limit the amount of lithium that needs to be dug up and refined into battery-grade chemicals, and instead develop viable and cost-effective battery recycling technologies, so as to create material circularity and reduce the energy and environmental costs. A new&nbsp;study published in&nbsp;The Journal of the Indian Institute of Science&nbsp;highlighted the fact that lithium battery collection and recycling rates are far below those of traditional lead-acid batteries. While lack of recycling has been a non-critical issue when lithium batteries were limited to consumer electronics, the scale of the problem will grow exponentially as EV batteries reach their end of life. Given that only 1% of lithium batteries are currently recycled, compared with 90-99% of lead-acid batteries, the need to develop viable recycling processes and operations provides substantial opportunities for first movers. Taking cue is Singapore-based&nbsp;Green Li-ion, a maker of hydrometallurgical systems to recycle lithium-ion batteries. It recently announced the completion of a funding round from multiple investors and seeks to set up its first large-scale system in the U.S., as well as other projects based on memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed recently for additional systems. Similarly,&nbsp;Stena Recycling&nbsp;of Sweden started construction of its new battery recycling plant in Halmstad, plans for which were announced in July 2021. The company expects the plant to be up and running in the first quarter of 2023.</p>
<p>Auto companies continue to partner for battery production. Meanwhile,&nbsp;Volkswagen and Robert Bosch&nbsp;plan to set up a joint venture by the end of this year to equip battery cell factories, and help make Europe self-sufficient in battery production. The new venture will deliver battery production systems as well as assist battery cell manufacturers in scaling up and maintaining their production sites. Europe has aggressive goals for turning itself into an EV mecca. Accordingly, various companies plan to build cell factories with a total annual capacity of around 700 gigawatt-hours by 2030. VW alone plans to build six such factories with annual capacity of 240 GWh by 2030. Obviously, such rapid expansion of production will be facilitated by standardizing processes and technologies, which is the aim of the proposed JV.</p>
<h3>Automotive &amp; Transportation</h3>
<p>It will get better eventually. According to AutoForecast Solutions, the global automotive industry has lost 10.8 million vehicles to production disruptions, courtesy the semiconductor shortages that began in 2021. The firm estimates that so far this year, lack of chips impacted production of 370K units—or, close to 4.5 million on an annualized basis. Demand remains strong, but supply is still limited because it takes 1-2 years to build, validate and ramp up commercial production of a new semiconductor fab. Consequently, while chip manufacturers expect better supply situation in 2022 compared with 2021,&nbsp;the improvements in availability will be back-end loaded, a sentiment echoed by VW’s head of procurement. Given the tough March-May 2021 production and sales comps, 1H22 may be a bumpy period for automotive industry suppliers, including plastics and composites, adhesives, sealants, and coatings. PPG, AXTA, AVNT, HXL and FUL may be particularly exposed among the stocks in our index.</p>
<p>As if chip shortage wasn’t enough. Confirming the previous cautious outlook, Ford recently&nbsp;announced that it plans&nbsp;to suspend, or cut, production at eight assembly plants in the U.S., Mexico and Canada throughout next week because of microchip supply constraints. The company expects its 1Q22 production to be down vs. year-ago period. Further complicating forecasting and production is the ongoing protest of Canadian truckers and the impact that is having on parts availability from Canada. Again, Ford blamed at least&nbsp;one plant shutdown&nbsp;decision on lack of parts from Canada. While the&nbsp;European automotive market is expected to grow 8%&nbsp;in 2022 vs. 2021, we suspect much of that growth will occur in 2H22. Even if these forecasts prove correct, production levels in 2022 will still be 20% below 2019, suggesting that suppliers to the auto industry may not fully recover until sometime in 2023, or even 2024. Meantime, Toyota once again&nbsp;cut its production outlook&nbsp;for the remainder of its fiscal year (FY end Mar-22) and expects chip shortages and COVID-19-related shutdowns to result in a production loss of 480K vehicles in the Mar-Q.</p>
<h3>Ag-Chem and Ag-Tech</h3>
<p>All eyes on LATAM. Drought in Latin America—from Brazil to Argentina to Paraguay—is reducing expectations for corn and soy harvests in the region during the 2021-22 harvest season. The&nbsp;USDA recently cut&nbsp;its yield and production estimates for the region, as well as its global tonnage forecasts, because of deteriorating weather conditions. Private&nbsp;forecasters went even further, cutting Brazilian soy production outlook to below the 130 million ton threshold. Yields are notoriously difficult to forecast, as the North American market proved in 2021. It is possible that the situation in LATAM&nbsp;may not turn out to be as dire&nbsp;as it currently looks. However, one thing is clear—lower production out of LATAM will positively impact demand for U.S. crops and thus, commodity crop prices. This should allow U.S. farmers to afford significantly higher input costs, particularly those for ag-chems and fertilizers. Given higher expectations for crop prices, farmer income in 2022 may be sufficient to create strong demand for pesticides and fertilizers—and solid financial conditions—as the market comes out of 2022. That would be a positive for ag-chem companies such as FMC and CTVA, as well as fertilizer companies such as CF. Furthermore, positive end-market conditions may persist into 2023, as drought often leads to increased pest pressures,&nbsp;driving demand for rescue insecticides&nbsp;during the season, and helping to clear out previous backlog in the distribution channel. That augurs well for demand and pricing in 2023.</p>
<h3>Rating and Price Target Changes</h3>
<p><strong>AVNT</strong>&nbsp;– Citigroup reduced its price target (PT) to $63 from $68, but reiterated its Buy recommendation.</p>
<p><strong>CMP</strong>&nbsp;– JP Morgan downgraded to Underweight from Neutral, and reduced its PT to $52 from $57.</p>
<p><strong>EAF</strong>&nbsp;– RBC lowered its PT to $13 from $14 and reiterated its Outperform rating.</p>
<p><strong>FMC</strong> – Mizuho Securities raised its PT to $136 from $126 and reiterated its Buy&nbsp; recommendation; Wells Fargo raised its PT to $130 from $123 and reiterated Outperform; Monness Crespi raised its PT to $130 from $126 and reiterated its Buy rating; Morgan Stanley raised its PT to $125 from $115 and maintained its Equal Weight rating.</p>
<p><strong>FUL</strong>&nbsp;– Berenberg Bank raised its PT to $85 from $81 and reiterated its Buy rating.</p>
<p><strong>MTX</strong>&nbsp;– JP Morgan upgraded to Overweight from Neutral, while reducing its PT to $75 from $80; CL King also lowered its PT to $87 from $90, but reiterated its Buy recommendation.</p>
<p><strong>SHW</strong>&nbsp;– Evercore ISI raised its PT to $325 from $320 and reiterated its Outperform rating.</p>
<h3>DISCLOSURES</h3>
<p>Water Tower Research (“WTR”) is a professional publisher of investment research reports on public companies and, to a lesser extent, private firms (“the Companies”). WTR provides investor-focused content and digital distribution strategies designed to help companies communicate with investors.<br><br>WTR is not a registered investment adviser or a broker/dealer nor does WTR provide investment banking services. WTR operates as an exempt investment adviser under the so called “publishers’ exemption” from the definition of investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. WTR does not provide investment ratings / recommendations or price targets on the companies it reports on. Readers are advised that the research reports are published and provided solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities or the rendering of investment advice. The information provided in this report should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as personalized advice. All users and readers of WTR’s reports are cautioned to consult their own independent financial, tax and legal advisors prior to purchasing or selling securities.<br><br>Dmitry Silversteyn, who is the writer of this report, covers the Chemicals &amp; Materials Technology and BioEconomy sectors for WTR. Mr. Silversteyn and members of his household have no personal or business-related relationship to the subject company other than providing digital content and any ancillary services WTR may offer.<br><br>Unless otherwise indicated, WTR intends to provide continuing coverage of the covered companies. WTR will notify its readers through website postings or other appropriate means if WTR determines to terminate coverage of any of the companies covered.<br><br>In certain instances, including this report, WTR will write research covering non-clients. Readers should assume that WTR may seek to turn these non-paying companies into paying clients. Likewise, WTR may seek to transform these non-clients into paying clients of it or of its affiliate, which provides services such as presenting at sponsored investor conferences, distributing press releases, advising on investor relations and broader corporate communications and public relations strategies as well as performing certain other related services (“Ancillary Services”). The companies that WTR covers in our research are not required to purchase or use Ancillary Services of WTR or an affiliate might offer to clients.<br><br>The manner of WTR’s potential research compensation and Ancillary Services to covered companies raise actual and perceived conflicts of interest. WTR is committed to manage those conflicts to protect its reputation and the objectivity of employees/analysts by adhering to strictly written compliance guidelines.<br><br>The views and analyses included in our research reports are based on current public information that we consider to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to their accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or correctness. Neither we nor our analysts, directors, officers, employees, representatives, independent contractors or agents shall be liable for any omissions, errors or inaccuracies, regardless of cause, foreseeability or the lack of timeliness of, or any delay or interruptions in the transmission of our reports to content users. This lack of liability extends to direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, compensatory, punitive, special or consequential damages, costs, expenses, legal fees, losses, lost income, lost profit or opportunity costs.<br><br>All investment information contained herein should be independently verified by the reader or user of this report. For additional information, all readers of this report are encouraged to visit WTR’s website www.watertowerresearch.com.</p>

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
WTR-CMI last week. The Russell 2000 led the way last week with a 1.4% appreciation. Our WTR-CMI index of chemicals and materials technology companies almost kept apace by rising 1.3%, and handily outperformed the S&amp;P 500, which fell 1.8%.
Winners and losers. Last week saw a rash of earnings releases and guidance for 2022, and, as is their wont, stock prices moved based on those announcements. AVNT surged 9.1% after delivering stronger-than-expected revenues and profits and providing a solid outlook for 2022. Similarly, strong results and outlook for the ag market -in 2022 resulted in FMC appreciating 6.9%. ALB and LAC rose 6.9% and 5.7%, respectively, continuing to benefit from record high lithium prices and strong demand, as well as concerns of near-term supply deficit in the rapidly growing EV market. Conversely, CMP missed expectations in F1Q22 (Dec-22) and its guidance for F2022 did not live up to expectations, so the stock slipped 4.1%. A rash of price target reductions by investment banks dragged SHW (3.1%) down. EAF’s results were likewise uninspiring, leading to a (2.7%) fall.
Teaching an old dog new tricks. Valvoline, a top-3 domestic supplier of engine lubes and liquids, recently unveiled its&nbsp;suite of offerings for the burgeoning EV market. For several years now, investors have been growing concerned over the long-term viability of VVV’s business model, given its almost-exclusive focus on internal combustion and diesel engines. While the company has been claiming that, as a regular and preventive maintenance provider, it can successfully manage the transition to EVs—given that they, too, need periodically replaced parts and fluids to operate properly—this announcement, which formalizes the process, may allay some concerns.
Industry consolidation. PPG announced the acquisition of the&nbsp;powder coatings business of Arsonsisi, an industrial coatings company based in Milan, Italy, with 2021 sales of ~$15 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Elsewhere, ALB signed a&nbsp;non-binding agreement with Mineral Resources&nbsp;(ASX: MIN) to explore a potential expansion of the MARBL Lithium JV.
WTR-CMI WEEKLY PERFORMANCE

Lithium &amp; EV Ecosystem Developments
The EV market isn’t immune to chip shortages. The global semiconductor shortage, and the disruption in the supply of other critical components for the automotive industry, continue to plague the EV market (see below). To be sure, production doubled in 2021 vs. 2020, but the market has not been completely shielded from supply disruptions either. Thus, last week,&nbsp;Volkswagen has implemented a quota system&nbsp;in its German retail network for its ID battery-electric cars amid the chips crunch, and has paused production of EVs at its plants in Zwickau and Dresden, Germany.
Circular economy imperatives drive recycling need. Despite the aforementioned impact of supply-chain disruptions, the EV revolution is expected to accelerate, which would require more lithium-ion batteries and lithium mineral. As we mentioned in our previous weeklies, for EVs to fulfill their sustainability mission, lithium mining and refining must also reduce their impact on the environment. One way to accomplish this is to limit the amount of lithium that needs to be dug up and refined into battery-grade chemicals, and instead develop viable and cost-effective battery recycling technologies, so as to create material circularity and reduce the energy and environmental costs. A new&nbsp;study published in&nbsp;The Journal of the Indian Institute of Science&nbsp;highlighted the fact that lithium battery collection and recycling rates are far below those of traditional lead-acid batteries. While lack of recycling has been a non-critical issue when lithium batteries were limited to consumer electronics, the scale of the problem will grow exponentially as EV batteries reach their end of life. Given that only 1% of lithium batteries are currently recycled, compared with 90-99% of lead-acid batteries, the need to develop viable recycling processes and operations provides substantial opportunities for first movers. Taking cue is Singapore-based&nbsp;Green Li-ion, a maker of hydrometallurgical systems to recycle lithium-ion batteries. It recently announced the completion of a funding round from multiple investors and seeks to set up its first large-scale system in the U.S., as well as other projects based on memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed recently for additional systems. Similarly,&nbsp;Stena Recycling&nbsp;of Sweden started construction of its new battery recycling plant in Halmstad, plans for which were announced in July 2021. The company expects the plant to be up and running in the first quarter of 2023.
Auto companies continue to partner for battery production. Meanwhile,&nbsp;Volkswagen and Robert Bosch&nbsp;plan to set up a joint venture by the end of this year to equip battery cell factories, and help make Europe self-sufficient in battery production. The new venture will deliver battery production systems as well as assist battery cell manufacturers in scaling up and maintaining their production sites. Europe has aggressive goals for turning itself into an EV mecca. Accordingly, various companies plan to build cell factories with a total annual capacity of around 700 gigawatt-hours by 2030. VW alone plans to build six such factories with annual capacity of 240 GWh by 2030. Obviously, such rapid expansion of production will be facilitated by standardizing processes and technologies, which is the aim of the proposed JV.
Automotive &amp; Transportation
It will get better eventually. According to AutoForecast Solutions, the global automotive industry has lost 10.8 million vehicles to production disruptions, courtesy the semiconductor shortages that began in 2021. The firm estimates that so far this year, lack of chips impacted production of 370K units—or, close to 4.5 million on an annualized basis. Demand remains strong, but supply is still limited because it takes 1-2 years to build, validate and ramp up commercial production of a new semiconductor fab. Consequently, while chip manufacturers expect better supply situation in 2022 compared with 2021,&nbsp;the improvements in availability will be back-end loaded, a sentiment echoed by VW’s head of procurement. Given the tough March-May 2021 production and sales comps, 1H22 may be a bumpy period for automotive industry suppliers, including plastics and composites, adhesives, sealants, and coatings. PPG, AXTA, AVNT, HXL and FUL may be particularly exposed among the stocks in our index.
As if chip shortage wasn’t enough. Confirming the previous cautious outlook, Ford recently&nbsp;announced that it plans&nbsp;to suspend, or cut, production at eight assembly plants in the U.S., Mexico and Canada throughout next week because of microchip supply constraints. The company expects its 1Q22 production to be down vs. year-ago period. Further complicating forecasting and production is the ongoing protest of Canadian truckers and the impact that is having on parts availability from Canada. Again, Ford blamed at least&nbsp;one plant shutdown&nbsp;decision on lack of parts from Canada. While the&nbsp;European automotive market is expected to grow 8%&nbsp;in 2022 vs. 2021, we suspect much of that growth will occur in 2H22. Even if these forecasts prove correct, production levels in 2022 will still be 20% below 2019, suggesting that suppliers to the auto industry may not fully recover until sometime in 2023, or even 2024. Meantime, Toyota once again&nbsp;cut its production outlook&nbsp;for the remainder of its fiscal year (FY end Mar-22) and expects chip shortages and COVID-19-related shutdowns to result in a production loss of 480K vehicles in the Mar-Q.
Ag-Chem and Ag-Tech
All eyes on LATAM. Drought in Latin America—from Brazil to Argentina to Paraguay—is reducing expectations for corn and soy harvests in the region during the 2021-22 harvest season. The&nbsp;USDA recently cut&nbsp;its yield and production estimates for the region, as well as its global tonnage forecasts, because of deteriorating weather conditions. Private&nbsp;forecasters went even further, cutting Brazilian soy production outlook to below the 130 million ton threshold. Yields are notoriously difficult to forecast, as the North American market proved in 2021. It is possible that the situation in LATAM&nbsp;may not turn out to be as dire&nbsp;as it currently looks. However, one thing is clear—lower production out of LATAM will positively impact demand for U.S. crops and thus, commodity crop prices. This should allow U.S. farmers to afford significantly higher input costs, particularly those for ag-chems and fertilizers. Given higher expectations for crop prices, farmer income in 2022 may be sufficient to create strong demand for pesticides and fertilizers—and solid financial conditions—as the market comes out of 2022. That would be a positive for ag-chem companies such as FMC and CTVA, as well as fertilizer companies such as CF. Furthermore, positive end-market conditions may persist into 2023, as drought often leads to increased pest pressures,&nbsp;driving demand for rescue insecticides&nbsp;during the season, and helping to clear out previous backlog in the distribution channel. That augurs well for demand and pricing in 2023.
Rating and Price Target Changes
AVNT&nbsp;– Citigroup reduced its price target (PT) to $63 from $68, but reiterated its Buy recommendation.
CMP&nbsp;– JP Morgan downgraded to Underweight from Neutral, and reduced its PT to $52 from $57.
EAF&nbsp;– RBC lowered its PT to $13 from $14 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
FMC – Mizuho Securities raised its PT to $136 from $126 and reiterated its Buy&nbsp; recommendation; Wells Fargo raised its PT to $130 from $123 and reiterated Outperform; Monness Crespi raised its PT to $130 from $126 and reiterated its Buy rating; Morgan Stanley raised its PT to $125 from $115 and maintained its Equal Weight rating.
FUL&nbsp;– Berenberg Bank raised its PT to $85 from $81 and reiterated its Buy rating.
MTX&nbsp;– JP Morgan upgraded to Overweight from Neutral, while reducing its PT to $75 from $80; CL King also lowered its PT to $87 from $90, but reiterated its Buy recommendation.
SHW&nbsp;– Evercore ISI raised its PT to $325 from $320 and reiterated its Outperform rating.
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Mat-Chem Notes for the Week Ended February 13, 2022

United States

Minerals Technologies Inc. is a resource- and technology-based organization that develops and produces performance-enhancing minerals, mineral-based, and synthetic mineral products.  The Company offers its products to the paper, steel, polymer, and other manufacturing industries on a worldwide basis.

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