Keybanc is out with a yet another major Specialty Chemicals call downgrading OM Group (NYSE:OMG) to Underweight from Hold with a $15 price tgt. Firm notes that during 4Q08, cobalt prices moved from $29/lb in October to $16/lb in November to about $11/lb in December, making the 4Q08 average price $17/lb. They had previously based their 4Q08 EPS estimate of $0.28 on cobalt at $23/lb. Given the precipitous drop, they now estimate 4Q08 EPS for OM Group at a loss of $0.18, bringing revised 2008 EPS estimate to $4.60. Prior 2008 EPS estimate was $5.05 Using a cobalt price of $11/lb (vs. $21/lb previously) for 2009, Keybanc's EPS estimate is cut from $2.50 to $0.80. They again caution that cobalt prices are highly volatile with swings that can be large[More...]

Arch Chemicals (ARJ), a specialty chemicals maker, backed its '08 EPS outlook of $2.20-$2.30 vs. views of $2.18, but it warned its sees Q4 results...