Jerry Kent Masters
Management
Thank you, Meredith. For the fourth quarter, we reported net sales of $1,400,000,000, up 16% year over year with double-digit volume growth. We also delivered adjusted EBITDA of $269,000,000, up 7% year over year, reflecting strong growth in energy storage and significant cost and productivity improvements. Turning to the full year. We achieved net sales of $5,100,000,000 and adjusted EBITDA of $1,100,000,000. As expected, these results were at or above our previous outlook considerations. Significant cost and productivity improvements, volume growth, and sales channel mix contributed meaningfully to our full year performance. We are providing an update to our lithium demand outlook to incorporate stronger lithium demand growth for stationary storage. As a result, our estimated range for global 2030 lithium demand is up 10% versus our previous forecast. That brings me to our new full year 2026 outlook. We are using the same methodology as we have the past two years, providing outlook ranges for various lithium market price scenarios. This year, those ranges reflect both our operational improvements and higher lithium pricing. We are also targeting additional cost and productivity improvements of $100 to $150,000,000 and stable capital spending in 2026. As a result, we see the potential for meaningful positive free cash flow at current lithium pricing. Since 2024, we have successfully executed actions to reduce cost and capital intensity, generate cash, and enhance financial flexibility. In 2025, we achieved approximately $450,000,000 in run-rate cost and productivity improvements and reduced CapEx spend by 65% year over year. In January 2026, we closed the sale of our stake in the Eurecat joint venture. We now expect to close the sale of a majority stake of Ketjen to KPS Capital Partners in the first quarter, slightly ahead of our initial schedule. Together, these transactions are expected to generate approximately $660,000,000 in pretax proceeds, improving financial flexibility, streamlining our operations, and enhancing focus on our core businesses. As we turn to Slide 5, yesterday, we announced the difficult but necessary decision to idle operations at our Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant to improve financials and preserve optionality. Unfortunately, recent lithium price improvements alone are not enough to offset the challenges facing Western hard rock lithium conversion operations. This action is expected to be accretive to adjusted EBITDA beginning in the second quarter with no impact to sales volumes. Our investments in top-tier mining resources at Greenbushes and Wodgina and our exploration interest in Western Australia remain important components of Albemarle Corporation's strategy and are not impacted by the decision to idle operations at Kemerton. I will now turn the call over to Neal R. Sheorey to discuss recent results and outlook. I will then cover recent market trends and growth before we open the call for Q&A.