Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) Position Increased by Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 201.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,724 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,490 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $538,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in Albemarle during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in Albemarle during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new stake in Albemarle during the third quarter valued at $35,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Albemarle by 21,400.0% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 215 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Albemarle by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALB opened at $112.30 on Tuesday. Albemarle Co. has a twelve month low of $106.69 and a twelve month high of $247.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $13.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.42, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $122.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.77.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.86. Albemarle had a net margin of 16.36% and a return on equity of 26.62%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.62 EPS. Albemarle’s revenue was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Albemarle Co. will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Albemarle’s payout ratio is 11.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALB has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Albemarle from $191.00 to $188.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Albemarle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Albemarle in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.05.

Albemarle Company Profile

Albemarle Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets engineered specialty chemicals worldwide. It operates through three segments: Energy Storage, Specialties and Ketjen. The Energy Storage segment offers lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and lithium chloride; technical services for the handling and use of reactive lithium products; and lithium-containing by-products recycling services.